This is a study of the way power relationships change when women start to play candombe in Montevideo, Uruguay. Candombe is a type of music, which is traditionally played by men within the black minority in the country. This study has been done with an intersectional point of view, taking the social categories gender, class and ethnicity in account. The method used was participatory observation in a field study made in Montevideo between November 2008 and February 2009.

This study’s main conclusions are that the power relationships change with the participation of women in candombe in several important ways: The women legitimize an alternative way to be a woman when they take the men’s role as a drum player. Hegemonic relationships are made visible. The men’s privileged position within candombe is questioned. Hegemonic ideas of ethnicity and class are in some way challenged since candombe is a space where categories with low status may gain respect from society. However, there is a risk that “the social norm” outlines a framework for what is accepted and approved within candombe, and what is not. It is therefore crucial that the players in candombe define its meaning themselves.