Los sonidos de Costa Rica 200 años después / The Sounds of Costa Rica 200 years later

Abstract

This essay intends to analyze, within the framework of the bicentennial of the independence of Mexico and Central America (1821-2021), how musical composition and sound design are used as marketing tools for the popularization of imaginaries that hegemonic groups consider pertinent for each nation. Whereas they once required the invention of a “national music,” they now need “audio branding” for the “national brand” promoted in the transnational business market. The proposed analysis will be carried out based on decolonial sound studies, and centered on Costa Rican works of a testimonial nature that allow us to examine the contradictions of nationalist ideals, as well as its repercussions in everyday life. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.