{"id":146,"date":"2024-12-13T20:39:22","date_gmt":"2024-12-14T01:39:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/lao354-f24\/?p=146"},"modified":"2024-12-20T21:40:20","modified_gmt":"2024-12-21T02:40:20","slug":"the-politics-of-the-stage-exploring-live-performances-as-sites-for-political-engagement-through-bad-bunny","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/lao354-f24\/the-politics-of-the-stage-exploring-live-performances-as-sites-for-political-engagement-through-bad-bunny\/","title":{"rendered":"The Politics of the Stage: Exploring Live Performances as Sites for Political Engagement through Bad Bunny"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Politics of the Stage:<\/h2>\n

Exploring Live Performances as Sites for Political Engagement through Bad Bunny<\/em><\/h3>\n
By Isis Arevalo<\/em><\/h5>\n

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Figure 0. Bad Bunny at El Coliseo in Puerto Rico.<\/h6>\n

Introduction:<\/h4>\n

This project will investigate <\/span>Bad Bunny\u2019s live performances as sites of political awakening and engagement<\/span> for his various audiences. It will look specifically at three contributing factors\u2014<\/span>his live production of cultural sound, his incorporation of aesthetic features, and his deliverance of explicit political commentary<\/span>\u2014that mobilize such site-specific political activation, contribute to shaping his political messaging, and influence how receptive audiences are to it.<\/span><\/p>\n

This project argues that these factors collectively <\/span>create a sense of community and confidence between audience members at sites for live performance<\/span>, and is <\/span>strengthened the larger the audience with a shared background becomes<\/span>. This project additionally contends that the affective consequences of his performances\u2014empowering, informing, and\/or activating his audiences\u2014<\/span>vary depending on the size and demographic of each audience <\/span>he performs for, and is made possible by the shared characteristics of language and culture that are centered by Bad Bunny through different mediums in his performance.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Context and Background:<\/b><\/h4>\n

Since his rise to global prominence, Bad Bunny has grown increasingly vocal about political issues affecting Puerto Ricans on both the island and in the diaspora. This was a key course theme, highlighted specifically in the week of October 2nd, \u201cPFKNR,\u201d in which assessed Bad Bunny\u2019s role as an activist and embodiment of Puerto Rican empowerment. Two key aggravating historical factors have been Hurricane Maria and the government\u2019s inability, or unwillingness, to support Puerto Ricans in the wake of the natural disaster, and the recent state government election, a contest between the pro-independence party, el Partido Indepedentista Puertorrique\u00f1o, or PIP, and the pro-statehood standing party, el Partido Nuevo Progresista, or PNP. As the political turmoil heightened in the months leading up to the November 5th election, Bad Bunny released increasingly direct and critical art and commentary to raise awareness of the standing government\u2019s corruption and to call for civic engagement from Puerto Ricans to put a stop to the ongoing political, economic, and social neglect and harm enacted by the PNP. See a timeline of key historical moments and key potentially political performances below.<\/span><\/p>\n

CONTEXTUALIZING BAD BUNNY: A TIMELINE OF POLITICS AND PERFORMANCE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Figure 1. Timeline of Key Historical Events and Key Performances.**<\/h6>\n
**if there are issues with quality, see hyperlink above.<\/h6>\n

Bad Bunny’s live performances as sites for political engagement must be assessed within the context of a broader scholarly conversation regarding the sociological effects of live performance.\u00a0In the existing literature, sociologists Michael Dowdy, Nick Baxter-Moore, and Thomas Kitts make a recurring claim that live performances create a bond amongst audience members and between audience members and the artist of interest. This is largely a product of seeing a final product\u2014music\u2014produced authentically, or live, before the audience. The authenticity of live sound builds trust between performer and audience member, and thus the audience member becomes receptive to not only the art, but the ideas shared by the artist.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Moreover, as sociologist <\/span>Dowdy argues, live performance in small live music venues serve as spaces where individuals are invited to participate in an artist\u2019s performance, resulting in a sense of collective agency. This sense of collective agency then translates into greater motivation for democratic, political participation, even if the artist is not sharing explicitly political themes in their lyrics. However, the caveat of Dowdy\u2019s argument is that he insists that this kind of political activation in audiences is only possible in small venue spaces, as large arenas relegate audience members to be merely \u201ccongratulatory\u201d rather than participatory. Thus, any outreach from the artist to the audience becomes increasingly shallow as the size of the audience increases. However, the connections formed between Bad Bunny and his globally-spanning audiences challenges Dowdy’s limited conclusions on how audiences can, or cannot, connect with artists on increasingly larger stages.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Finally, in terms of sociological knowledge, Bad Bunny’s live performances will be assessed alongside the concept of\u00a0collective effervescence<\/em>, a term coined by sociologist Emile Durkheim<\/span>, <\/span><\/i>which is <\/span>the idea that people experience a sense of unity, joy, and fulfillment from engaging in collective activity for a shared purpose. While this term is typically applied in religious settings (to help explain why mass services are so moving to their audiences), it can, and has been, extended to any collective activity\u2014in this case, it will extend and apply to the sociological effects of live performance. Since the scholarship assessing how live performances shape the way in which audiences and listeners engage with artists is limited, sociological concepts, such as collective effervescence, are necessarily extended beyond the realms of social interaction they were initially applied to. Considering the political context framing Bad Bunny’s live performances, alongside the contested assertion of live music venues as sites for social, and therefore political, engagement through the notion of collective effervescence<\/em>, three major case studies will assess how sound production, aesthetics, and direct commentary shape the political potentials of Bad Bunny’s live performances.<\/span><\/p>\n

Case Study 1: Cultural Sound Production & the “Una Velita” Performance (Nov. 2024)<\/h4>\n