Music in Response to the Child Separation Policy of the US-Mexico borderland

Keywords: Music, Protest, Activism, Ethnomusicology
Abstract Type: Paper Abstract

Abstract

Listening to and engaging with music offers a new entry point for exploring socio-spatial politics (von Benzon et al. 2021). The purpose of this paper is to present information on different musicians’ influence through conflicts relating to the United States/Mexico border, specifically the Family Separation Policy between the years of 2018 and 2021. I analyzed three different artists who have produced music related to the border as an act of activism against the policy: Radney Foster, David Garza, and Gaby Moreno. For many of the artists, the main aspect of activism against the policy is the multiple migrant camps along the border and the separation of children from their families. During my analysis, I learned that all these artists are from the borderlands area and were swayed by this policy to create music or produce a cover song to influence their listeners. This further caused an emotional and affective argument along the border. As they continue through their music career, these artists continue to produce work engaging with these issues as well. This paper is written in relation to my thesis topic: perceptions of the borderlands through the use of music produced from 2018 to 2021.