Music for Social Cohesion in Bolivia report by TAI members out now

Photo of Kaypi Rap cultural collective performing at an event in honour of the Bolivian National month (Copyright: Kaypi Rap cultural collective).

The report ‘Music for social cohesion in Bolivia: A literature review and two case studies’ by Salinas-Maceda and Odena is now available at https://eprints.gla.ac.uk/300522/. The research underpinning this 190-page report was commissioned by the Prosperity Office of the British Embassy in La Paz at the end of 2021. This project examined the contribution made by music practices in developing social cohesion with individuals affected by social and ethnic tensions in the Plurinational State of Bolivia. From January 1, 2022, to April 30, 2023, a small team across the University of Glasgow and Bolivia carried out the activities discussed in the report, including a comprehensive review of academic and grey literature, fieldwork in two locations, and project dissemination. The research was focused on identifying the processes and needs of relevant programs/NGOs that develop social music activities in Bolivia while critically assessing the role of music practices for social cohesion. The study sought to address four research questions. The report includes twelve sections. Findings are divided into two parts, one focussed on the analysis of song lyrics, the other on interviews with project staff and beneficiaries. The discussion of findings is followed by limitations and conclusions, including implications for policymakers and practitioners.

A selection of findings was discussed in March 2023 at a hybrid event with research and practice leaders organised by The Arts of Inclusion network. This report is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0, which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed to its authors.