Si se puede! Music, musicians and Latino Vote at the 2008 US Presidential Election

This article seeks to examine the relevance of popular culture and music in particular in the context of post-migratory multicultural societies. More precisely, we aim to demonstrate how music and musicians contribute – in specific spatial and temporal settings – to the mobilization of some migrant origin populations. The article starts with a conceptual discussion on the role of music for ethnic and migrant groups and on the role of music and musicians in electoral campaigns. Subsequently, we review the case of the 2008 US presidential campaign to show the relevance of minority artists’ productions and the political use that can be made out of it in competitive electoral contexts such as that of the United States.