Paper short abstract:

The paper aims to present theoretical thoughts and empirical findings from a study about the meaning of Bolivian urban folk music culture in diaspora. Questions about how and why elements of this urban folk musical tradition is reproduced in new contexts will be taken up.

Paper long abstract:

Many Bolivian urban folk musicians live permanently in Europe or in United States and maintain different kinds of contacts with Bolivia. International tours are an important part of the group's activities and new social networks are built up through these tours. Many musicians present a repertoire which give the European audience the 'authentically exotic' and 'indigenous' music of the Andean region. For a number of musicians living in Bolivia an organised tour to the northern part of the world, to the USA or Europe, is of great social, cultural and economical importance.

This paper aims to present some theoretical thoughts and empirical findings from a study about the meaning of Bolivian urban folk music culture in diaspora. The relationships between urban folk music and social and cultural organizations in the diaspora are focused. Questions how and why elements of musical traditions are reproduced in new contexts will be taken up. Transcultural relationships between musicians and a changing music culture will be discussed.

What transculturality may signify, and how does it manifest itself in diasporic practices are illustrated through empirical findings from case studies about musicians and a cultural events where Bolivian urban folkmusic is performed.