The Buena Vista Phenomenon: Constructions of Cuban Musical Identity

Cuba is a fascinating Caribbean island that has succeeded in leaving an important musical legacy, the Buena Vista Social Club being one of the most successful exports of the last twenty years. This thesis will consider the impact of the 1996 recording project, Buena Vista Social Club, on the global perception of Cuban identity. It serves as a vehicle to explore the cultural formation of identity in Cuban music, which will apply the ideas of globalisation, transnationalism as well as critically engaging with concepts of nostalgia, political ideology and racial identity in music. I will present a wide spectrum of perspectives on Cuban music, using a range of source material in order to produce a balanced and informative document on Cuban musical identity.