Situating Salsaoffers the first comprehensive consideration of salsa music and its social impact, in its multiple transnational contexts. It consists of thirteen newly commissioned essays and four reprinted essays that explore the diffusion of this popular sound from its Hispanic Caribbean origins to audiences around the world. Drawing upon interviews, field observations, oral histories, personal memoirs, archival resources, and musical analysis, the volume sheds new light on current debates about race and ethnicity, class hierarchy, gender roles, and generational differences.