Abstract

The Mexican corrido (ballad) has had a long connection to the lived experiences of working poor Mexicans on both sides of the so-called Mexican-United States borderlands. The corrido has its roots as a representation of cultural resistance to oppression. The contemporary narcocorrido (drug ballad) has been a subject of controversy regarding the content of the music. Corridos can be in relation to a tragedy or an event that is preserved through the telling of an oral history through music. This paper will explore the benefits of using oral storytelling in ethnic studies classes as a methodology for self-reflection for student empowerment in providing a sense of belonging where language, culture, and identity are accepted by looking at the following questions: (1) Do corridos connect to the realities and experiences of students in the borderlands? (2) Do corridos assist in the preservation of language and culture? Lastly, I call for a corrido pedagogy that utilizes place-based teaching to reinforce how cultural hegemony expression has been demonized and discredited as a pedagogical tool for Latino students’ learning.