Contextualize the life of “Chango” Rodríguez. A contribution to a history of culture in Córdoba and Argentina (1960-1975)

A contribution to a history of culture in Córdoba and Argentina (1960-1975)

Abstract

The contextualization of a fragment (1960-1975) of the life and professional trajectory of folklorist José Ignacio “Chango” Rodríguez allowed us to learn more about the culture of the 1960s and 1970s on a local, national and international scale. His adaptive strategies functioned as a starting point for the consideration of diverse cultural processes. 
Chango’s thoughts on popular music make sense next to contexts such as the space race and the expansion of youth culture and mass cultural industry. The analysis of his proposal of renovating native music leads us to take into account the process of expansion and diversification of the field from 1960 (folklore “boom”) and that of retraction from 1965 (“reflux” of the boom). The virtual expulsion of Rodríguez from the national mass circuit and the reduction in the consumption and circulation of his music towards the end of the 1960s can be understood when considering the political experiences of the UNC students and the politicization and radicalization of culture. Chango’s trajectory allows us to visualize the dynamism of popular music and musical tastes, both in constant transformation during the period under study.