Rafael Cáceres

Rafael Cáceres is a Professor of Social Anthropology at the Pablo de Olavide University in Seville. He co-authored the book Historia cultural del flamenco. El barbero y la guitarra with Alberto del Campo, analyzing flamenco's origins and its ties to barbershop culture. His research focuses on the socio-cultural roots of flamenco, emphasizing the professionalization of the genre, gender dynamics, and the interplay between popular and elite music traditions in 19th-century Andalusia.

Key research interests include the historical context of flamenco's emergence, the role of barbershops as cultural hubs, and the gender shifts from female dominance in traditional dance to male-centric cante (singing) in flamenco. He critiques the romanticized narratives of flamenco's origins, advocating for evidence-based analysis of its spatial and social contexts.

He collaborates with institutions like the Independent Platform for Modern and Contemporary Flemish Studies (PIE.FMC), contributing to projects such as Crossing borders: reality and representation in the Mediterranean. His work bridges anthropology, musicology, and cultural studies, challenging misconceptions about flamenco's evolution and its socio-historical underpinnings.