Conclusion

This chapter recognizes the existence of unofficial, peripheral histories that are typically silenced because they question the homogenizing legitimacy of prevailing cultural models. Identifying some of the peripheral histories in the region and time period discussed in this volume was the driving force behind the interdisciplinary and contextual methodological approach of this book. The conclusion names the transversal themes that connect each song analyzed in the volume to a broader constellation of resistance in Latin America during this time: the tensions and struggles experienced during the period in question affected the social, economic, and political dimensions of life; certain agents within currents of protest appropriated ideas and language from religious discourse and wove them into their music; these protesting voices most often did not represent branches of institutionalized religion; for religion to be transformative, it must cease to function as a routine, decontextualized ritual and become, instead, a living commitment to the practice of peace, justice, and dignity; and the challenge to build a more just society is increasingly complex in a globalized and interconnected era in which exclusion and injustice seem ever more pervasive and widespread. The conclusion also suggests helpful ways readers can approach the various chapters and the content as a whole.