Abstract

CANALE, Analía. "The murguero fever that leaves you breathless": An approach to the porteño murga revival from a folkloric perspective. Cuad. Fac. Humanid. Cienc. Soc., Univ. Nac. Jujuy [online]. 2002, n.18, pp.249-264. ISSN 1668-8104.

"Murgas", one of Buenos Aires City carnival artistic groups, have multiplied in the last ten years, thereby opening up spaces for the gathering, participation and creative expression of adolescents and young adults. This phenomenon has brought about the reappraisal of lore and practices related to the "festive life of the people" and the playful and aesthetic aspects of social interactions. In this paper I deal with the "history with lower case" of a murga group, which was formed seven years ago in a neighborhood in the southern sector of the city, where I did fieldwork. By means of dancing at the rhythm of the drums, humorous and critical songs, colorful costumes, and banners, the group creates and displays an image of itself built out of references to its original neighborhood, to local historical characters, and to porteño carnival tradition. This murga group trajectory, which started with its initial configuration and affirmation as a group, can be related to the wider development of the murga cultural expression in urban settings. I analyze the phenomenon with conceptual and methodological tools from the Folklore discipline.

Keywords : Folklore; Tradition; Carnival; Buenos Aires carnival artistic groups.

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