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Patten Lecture: Martha Gonzalez

Patten Lecture: Martha Gonzalez

Thursday, March 13, 2025

Collective Songwriting: Theory and Knowledge Production

A song as a sonic and literary manifestation is life’s soundscape, a unique, cathartic memento as well as a powerful political tool. A song can also be an important historical text. A person’s testimonio (testimony), life views, triumphs, aphorisms, and struggles can be expressed in song lyrics. In this way, song lyrics can transmit ways of knowing and theorizing about life. When practiced in community, songwriting is a powerful exercise in consensus building and collective knowledge production. Gonzalez will discuss collective songwriting, the history and development of the method, the different stages of the process and the significance it has had in Chicano Latino communities in East Los Angeles.

The William T. Patten Foundation

The William T. Patten Foundation provides funds to bring distinguished scholars or practitioners in the sciences, the humanities and the arts to the Bloomington campus for a week. The foundation has brought over 150 scholars of extraordinary national and international distinction since 1937, making it the oldest lecture series at Indiana University. Lecturers are chosen by a campus-wide faculty committee.

William T. Patten graduated in 1893 with a Bachelor of Arts in history from IU. He then moved to Indianapolis and led a successful career in real estate and politics. He created an endowment for the university in 1931, with the purpose of bringing renowned leaders to the Bloomington campus.

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