Chilean singer-songwriter Víctor Jara (1932-1973) is widely known as an international icon of protest song. A leading figure in the Chilean New Song movement that was deeply entwined with the presidency of democratically-elected socialist Salvador Allende, Jara sang in favor of leftist revolutions and workers’ rights, and against social inequality, capitalism, and imperialism. In the days following the 1973 coup d’état, Jara was detained, tortured, and shot, first in a macabre game of Russian roulette, and later riddled with over forty bullets. While other New Song artists were detained and tortured, Jara was the only one killed. Through this heinous act, Jara became a martyr—the martyr—of Chilean New Song. 

This presentation is part of a book-length project that seeks to counteract the tendency to interpret Jara’s life and works from the perspective of his death by focusing on the multi-dimensional nature of his artistic pursuits and achievements. Specifically, this talk will focus on the ways in which Jara’s sexuality shaped some of his career choices and alliances. During the early sixties, in his equally distinguished work in theater and folk music, Jara collaborated closely with left-leaning, but queer-friendly collectives that not only welcomed him, but permitted the exploration of divergent sexualities. In contrast, the Popular Unity coalition that Jara actively endorsed starting in 1969 considered homosexuality bourgeois and anti-revolutionary. Through an analysis of some of his iconic songs, I propose a new understanding of Jara, one considerably more complex and nuanced than the available hagiographies of a slain political martyr.

This event is sponsored by the Stone Center for Latin American Studies, the School of Liberal Arts (Center for Scholars), the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, the Department of Music, and Newcomb Insitute.