Flamenco, Regionalism and Musical Heritage in Southern Spain explores the relationship between regional identity politics and flamenco in Andalusia, the southernmost autonomous community of Spain.

In recent years, the Andalusian Government has embarked on an ambitious project aimed at developing flamenco as a symbol of regional identity. In 2010, flamenco was recognised as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO, a declaration that has reinvigorated institutional support for the tradition. The book draws upon ethnomusicology, political geography and heritage studies to analyse the regionalisation of flamenco within the frame of Spanish politics, while considering responses among Andalusians to these institutional measures.

Drawing upon ethnographic research conducted online and in Andalusia, the book examines critically the institutional development of flamenco, challenging a fixed reading of the relationship between flamenco and regionalism. The book offers alternative readings of regionalism, exploring the ways in which competing localisms and disputed identities contribute to a fresh understanding of the flamenco tradition. Matthew Machin-Autenrieth makes a significant contribution to flamenco scholarship in particular and to the study of music, regionalism and heritage in general.

About the Author
Matthew Machin-Autenrieth is a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow at the Faculty of Music, University of Cambridge, UK. He graduated with a Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology from the School of Music, Cardiff University in 2013. His research concerns flamenco, regionalism, politics and multiculturalism in Southern Spain.

Reviews

"Although this work comes from the academic field, the local and regional problems and tensions that it reveals would justify its translation into Spanish, and even its inclusion as part of curricular readings beyond flamencology. Flamenco, Regionalism and Musical Heritage in Southern Spain would surely enrich the critical (and self-critical) spirit of amateurs and professionals as well as those in charge of institutions regarding the use of a unique musical tradition that should not be used as the means to mend territorial inequalities."

- Bernat Jimenez de Cisneros Puig, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Spain

"This is an important and timely study that not only draws on a long and growing tradition of flamenco studies but
advances new directions for research. It will be standard reading for graduate seminars in ethnomusicology and the Mediterranean region. Thorough, well-crafted, and engaging, it will serve as a foundation text for future research not only on flamenco but also on the institutional bases for cultural politics in Europe more generally."

- Jonathan H, Shannon, Hunter College, CUNY, US

Book Information
ISBN 9780367229474
Author Matthew Machin-Autenrieth
Format Paperback
Page Count 196
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 360g