Título en español.

Abstract

The advancement in the study of Heavy Metal (HM) music from different academic fields has been documented in dissertations, conferences, books and articles in scientific journals. Furthermore, studies focused on HM have been conducted from interdisciplinarity, from cultural studies (Riches, 2011) to physics (Silverberg, Bierbaum, Sethna, and Cohen, 2013). Within Heavy Metal Studies (HMS) the mosh has been identified as an essential practice of a HM concert experience (Riches, 2012). In this work, we documented the meanings associated with the practice of moshing in Puerto Rico‘s metal scene. This work is part of the first systematic study of HM culture in Puerto Rico. Using ethnography and in-depth interviews with members of the local metal scene, we found three emergent themes on the meaning of mosh: 1) the existence of a non -written code shared by the community when engaging in moshing; 2) the conceptualization of the mosh as a liminoid space; and 3) its therapeutic role. We conclude that the mosh is a space that fosters trust, friendship and camaraderie, while allowing an acceptable level of violence and risk. It is there, between that order and chaos, where we find a communal experience that challenges, defies and problematizes the inherent aspects of the human condition.