Theoretical Framework

Protest Music in Latin America: Politics, Faith, and Social Justice stands at the intersection between individual and collective protagonisms, and between frustration and aspiration. In this volume, historical and contextual approaches merge in the investigation of the subject matter. This chapter provides an overview of the theoretical approach developed for the selection and analysis of the content. After defining the authors’ understanding of discourse, the theoretical dimensions—that is, structured approaches to analysis that allow for studying the practices, products, and/or cultural perspectives of a human community—are described: the assumption of the questioning, critical posture adopted by the artists and songs examined; the concept and perspective of conscientização (Paulo Freire); the recognition that the Christian faith has been part of the cultural matrix of Latin America since the region's interactions with Europeans; and the theological contributions from the broad umbrella of liberation theologies in both the Roman Catholic and Protestant contexts.