Tango,
Gender and Nationalism
Readings:
"From
Wallflower to Femme Fatale" by Marta Savigliano
"Tango
and Homosocial Desire" by Jeff Tobin
"Masculinity
and the Tango Lyric" by Donald Castro
An
Historical Outline of Tango and Nationalism
1870s
- The demographics of national development
Immigrant
populations, the key to growth.
The emulation of Europe and the marginalization of Creole populations.
German
and Italian immigrants in the suburbs of Bueno Aires
Many
memories add up to a bitter and insecure melancholy that Argentines
recognize as a deep current in their culture: their lack of roots
in a preconquest indigenous civilization, the post-1880 wave of
immigration that left three foreign-born people for every native
Argentine on the streets of Buenos Aires; the continually high
proportion of men to women that contributed to Buenos Aires' position
as a world-renowned depot of the white slave trade; the nostalgia
and resentment of newcomers when dreams of owning land became
impossible to realize and other forms of success remained exclusive...Although
a major symbol of national identity, the tango's themes emphasize
a painful uncertainty as to the precise nature of that identity
(Julie Taylor, 1998 Paper Tangos, p. 2).
The
rise of a defiant underclass of "compadritos" speaking "lunfardo"
Argentines
channel their characteristic combination of inhibitions
and introspecion into a particular form of brooding that
amounts to a national institution; el mufarse...bitter introspection...a
clear sense of self-indulgence when they give into a mufa...depression,
but with a cynicism about the depression itself (Ibid.)
The
early tango-milonga
1900-1917:
the popularization of the dance form.
- the
role of neighboring military bases
- the
role of the bandoneon
- 1917-1940:
the popularization of tango poetry
- 1935:
the death of Carlos Gardel
Por una cabeza
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Carlos
Gardel:
He incarnated the idea of the Argentine as quintessentially
urban. But he never allowed his urbane elegance to undermine his
values and his loyalties. The myths of Carlos Gardel further relate
that from the pinnacle of his success in the city center, he remembered
the neighborhood friends of his youth, and that he longed for
Argentina while he triumphed in European capitals. Even more important,
he resisted the glamour of the women surrounding him and remained
faithful to his mother (Ibid.)
1940s:
Juan and Evita Peron
The
emergence of tango as a political symbol representative
of the Argentine government
Juan,
the populist strongman
Evita
as symbol
Most
musicians, in traditional show business fashion, avoided
taking unduly specific attitudes to the government. Some
bandleaders were annoyed by the new rules on hiring and
firing imposed by Peron's labour laws, but, by the same
token, the economic bonanza induced by the goovernmnet undoubtedly
contributed to the brilliant fortunes of the tango during
its last classic decade. Peron himiself, indisputably a
popular figure, was well aware of the tango's popularity,
and was more than happy to be photographed in the company
of musicians and to attend the occasional tango festival
(Collier, Simon et al., 1995 Tango: The Dance,
The Song, The Story).
1976-83:
Repressive Military Junta
The
emergence of tango as a political symbol in opposition to
the Argentine government Official
encouragement of a 'neofolklore' to challenge the tango
in public affections tango's
decline was speeded by the assimilation of the immigrant
community in Argentine society the
large orchestras of the 1940s were replaced by smaller ensembles
of three to nine members the
rise of the new tango in the 1960s...Astor
Piazzolla
The Issue of Gender and Tango
Castro
and the lyrics of male fragility (male fragility). Savigliano
and the role of women (submissive, but not). Tobin and homosocial
desire (the social significance of male bonding).
The Issue of Politics and Tango
Gender
& Age as politically significant dimensions of music and dance
(Why
do cinematographers dwell so lovingly on elderly musicians and
dancers? Why the skewed distribution of their interest to males
only? What is the political purchase of celebrated elderly males?)
Washabaugh
last
revised 1/07
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