Aesthetics, politics, and dissent: A review of La rebelión de los sentidos by Ricardo Roque Baldovinos

Abstract

La rebelión de los sentidos explores the intersections between art, politics, and subjectivity during El Salvador’s authoritarian modernization (1950–1980). This review aimed to provide a critical reading of the book, highlighting its main findings, narrative structure, and contributions to cultural history. Based on analytical reading and contextual review, five key themes were identified: urbanism, literature, theater, counterculture, and guerrilla cinema. Each chapter shows how aesthetic practices served as spaces of resistance or co-optation in the face of authoritarianism. Among the most significant findings is the author’s ability to interweave testimonies, political analysis, and literary language in a narrative that reveals both the possibilities and limitations of revolutionary art. The review concludes that the book is a valuable contribution to understanding the sensitive dimension of politics under repression and transformation. It also opens new paths for researching cultural history from an inter- and transdisciplinary perspective.