‘Love for the Rich, Porn for the People’ : Popular Music in the Balkans as a Locus for Negotiation of Belonging and Social Distinction

• In contemporary scholarly discussions, similar styles of music that are popular in different parts of the Balkans, have been defined rhetorically as “porn-nationalism”, “deviant and violent activity”, “social ill”, and even sadism. This article discusses two such styles, the so called turbofolk in post-Yugoslavian spaces, and chalgain Bulgaria, which have similar genealogies and social contexts and kinship links, but have not been studied comparatively. I will briefly present the history of the two styles, respectively in the 1980s and the early 1990s, in order to contextualize their social roots and show the interplay of global and local music models and tastes. I find this important in order to make an argument for the analytical potentials of comparative research. Further, I briefly mention some of the dominant perspectives in existing research in order to point to aspects, perspec-tives, and factors that have received less scholarly attention. Finally, I suggest that event analysis, an evolving method in anthropology, can provide new analytical tools and help increase understanding of the popularity and social significance of turbofolk and chalga.

Ämnesord

HUMANIORA  -- Annan humaniora (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- Other Humanities (hsv//eng)

HUMANIORA  -- Konst -- Musikvetenskap (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- Arts -- Musicology (hsv//eng)

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