Victims of the Chilean Miracle: Workers and Neoliberalism in the Pinochet Era, 1973-2002 (review)

Arizona Journal of Hispanic Cultural Studies 231 thorough theoretical background and a useful research methodology, Edberg is able to tackle interesting questions and notions about the nature and interpretation of narcocorridos such as die relationship between the narcocorrido hero and the hero image in traditional corrido; social factors related to common themes in narcocorridos ; the impact of modern mass-media in narcocorridos ; and how the narcotrafficker persona portrayed in narcocorridos is related to behavior patterns among listeners. The study includes a foreword by anthropologist Howard Campbell who provides a brief overview ofthe corrido genre from the romance ballad tradition in medieval Spain to current border versions. There is a prologue by the author and four chapters: 1. Corridos, Cultural Representations, and Poverty; 2. Investigating Narcocorridos and Their Meaning in the U.S. Border Context; 3. Interpreting Narcocorridos; and 4. Narcocorridos and the Cultural Persona of the Narco trafficker. Two useful appendices include a research methodology with sample interview guides and the Spanish lyrics for some corridos and narcocorridos. This valuable direction, however, is weakened by the author's relative lack of familiarity with the corrido tradition and the narcocorrido cultural production. For example, when discussing Exterminador's "Las tres monjas," as an instance of humor in the narcocorrido (90), he fails to mention the central role played by Lalo Gonzalez's, Piporro, who resemanticized the corrido genre precisely via humor. Incidentally, the title of the narcocorrido is "Las monjitas," and not "Las tres monjas." This reviewer is unaware that this band recorded two corridos about drug traffickers who disguise themselves as nuns. In focusing on the most interesting topic of females as narcocorrido protagonists, the author mentions "a recent narcorrido about a young woman named Baltazar that was ridiculously popular among girls who wanted to live the lifestyle portrayed" (98). Baltazar is usually a masculine name but, unfortunately, no title is provided. Is Edberg perhaps alluding to the narcocorrido, with a male protagonist, "Se les peló Baltazar"? If he is, the reference must be to a popular narcocorrido still sung after many years in public circulation. Does he have another composition in mind? Other statements reveal the need for further research. He states: "I have also heard about radio programs devoted to narcocorridos" (68). The reader wonders whether the researcher attempted to corroborate the assertion. Spanishlanguage programs of this nature are prevalent throughout the Southwestern United States. It is not clear, however, whether Edberg listened to such programs; a task that would have, undoubtedly , provided a rich contextual support for his thesis. Misidentifying it as the observation of an aficionado, the author mentions a quote on an Internet webpage dedicated to narcocorridos, a well-known spoken corrido introduction: "A mi me gustan los corridos porque son la pura verdad" (78). A listener of corridos would be aware that this brief spoken monologue is not a judgment on the genre but rather an introductory component to the lyrics of a corrido. The composition happens to be "Jefe de Jefes," one ofthe most famous narcocorridos ofthe last decade. While there has indeed been a narcocorrido corpus explosion in recent years, preventing scholars from acquiring a comprehensive knowledge of the narcocorrido repertoire, "Jefe de Jefes" is already a classic within the genre. Edberg states that he hopes his study will "at least provide directions for further research" (26). One must agree with the author that this is an important area of research in need of further interdisciplinary efforts. Juan Carlos RamÃ-rez-Pimienta San Diego State University Victims ofthe Chilean Miracle: Workers and Neoliberalism in the Pinochet Era, 1973-2002 Duke University Press, 2004 Edited by Peter Winn From 1988 to 1997, Chile's economy averaged a growth of 8 percent per year. This has been called a "miracle" after experiencing the 232 Arizona Journal of Hispanic Cultural Studies 1980s Latin American economical crisis. Victims ofthe Chilean Miracle: Workers and Neoliberalism in the Pinochet Era, 1973-2002—edited by Peter Winn—contests this success by examining whether the laborers, which made this achievement possible, were sacrificed under the interests of this market policy. Neoliberalism, an ideology inspired by the theories of the Chicago economist Milton Friedman, was introduced by Chilean's military regime...