Planting Son Jarocho in the Central Valley: The Power of Expression, Healing, and Transgression Toward Co-Liberation

• In Event: Decolonizing Pedagogies: Global Perspectives on Liberation, Literacy, and Learning

Abstract

Son jarocho is a musical genre that includes song, dance, and instruments. Afro-Mexican in origin, son jarocho was born in Veracruz, Mexico in the 16th century as a cultural expression and a challenge to colonization. In the face of ongoing manifestations of white supremacy, critical faculty and students came together to create Son Xinachtli (seed) as a culturally sustaining strategy for expression, healing, and transgression at Stanislaus State.

Our study draws upon Indigenous, feminist, community-based, and auto/ethnographic methods. Research findings indicate that son jarocho helps participants heal themselves, the land, and community. We argue that son jarocho is a cultural practice that can help to transcend heteropatriarchal coloniality and serve as an important path towards co-liberation.

Authors

• Cueponcaxochitl D. Moreno Sandoval, Stanislaus State

• Mary Roaf

• Julissa Ruiz Ramirez

• Gregorio Rocha Tabera

• Janneth Rodriguez

• Jennifer Campos Lopez

• Lirio Patton, Arizona State University - Tempe