- Institute of Caribbean Studies and the Reggae Studies Unit, Faculty of Humanities and Education, University of the West Indies, Mona, Kingston 7, Jamaica, WI
- 1876-977-1951
- Education, Anthropology, Sociology, Communication, Music, Cultural Theory, and 20 moreHumanities, Gender, Culture, Culture Studies, Cultural Politics, Cross-Cultural Studies, Cultural Studies (Communication), Popular Culture, Postcolonial Studies, Popular Music, Masculinities, Gender Theory, Cultural Studies, Violence, Democracy, Identity, Masculinity, Subcultures, Jamaica, and Caribbeanedit
- Donna P. Hope, PhD is tenured Professor of Culture, Gender and Society at the University of the West Indies, Mona C... moreDonna P. Hope, PhD is tenured Professor of Culture, Gender and Society at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus. She is the Founder and CEO of The Dancehall Archive and Research Initiative ("DHA") set up in February 2018 to preserve and disseminate the knowledge and culture of dancehall for current and future generations globally and to innovate towards leadership and professional development of the dancehall industry. A former Deputy Dean of Graduate Studies and Research in the Faculty of Humanities & Education and former Director of the Institute of Caribbean Studies, she was a Fulbright Scholar to the USA and was recognized as a Distinguished Alumna in Cultural Studies (2017) by George Mason University.
She holds the distinction of being the first Professor to be named in the over thirty (30) year-old Institute of Caribbean Studies at the UWI. Professor Hope’s work on identity-making and power domains in gender and popular culture has produced six academic books and over one hundred journal articles, book chapters, reviews and newspaper articles on Jamaican society, popular culture, dancehall, reggae, gender and sexuality. A renowned social commentator she has worked in media as both a talk show host and newspaper columnist and continues to share her views on culture, politics, gender and identity in the print and electronic media.
With the benefit of a Research Fellowship (2016-17) from the UWI she pursued research in Europe, Latin and South America on the global spread of Jamaican popular culture and its creation of glocal identity-spaces under the title Dancehall’s Scattered Children which forms part of her forthcoming works. Her pandemic Sabbatical (2020-2021) was used to expand her research on masculinities and to engage more broadly with her work on dancehall.
As a part of her work as a mentor and motivational speaker, and underscoring her keen sensitivity to issues affecting the working class and poor individuals from amongst whom she hails, Professor Hope's she has also published an autobiographical, motivational volume titled Chicken Back Gravy and Such Delights: Life's Lessons from my Journey (2019). Her newest work is Dancehall Queen: Erotic Subversion/Subversión Erótica (2023), a bilingual book (English/Spanish) co-edited with Carla Lamoyi and jointly published by The Dancehall Archive and FIEBRE Ediciones.edit
English Dancehall Queen: Erotic Subversion/Subversión Erótica is a bilingual book (English/Spanish) edited by Donna P. Hope and Carla Lamoyi and published by FIEBRE Ediciones and The Dancehall Archive and Research Initiative. This... more
English
Dancehall Queen: Erotic Subversion/Subversión Erótica is a bilingual book (English/Spanish) edited by Donna P. Hope and Carla Lamoyi and published by FIEBRE Ediciones and The Dancehall Archive and Research Initiative. This publication focuses on the Dancehall Queen phenomenon, a dance style and feminine aesthetic only performed by women, that was created in 1992, and later transformed into a contest in 1999, at a time when this musical and dance scene was dominated by heterosexual men. It explores the musical and cultural scene that set the stage for the Dancehall Queen and engages with the fashion, dance and music that connects the Dancehall Queen to Jamaican culture.
Español
Dancehall Queen: Erotic Subversion/Subversión Erótica es un libro bilingüe (inglés/español) editado por Donna P. Hope y Carla Lamoyi y publicado por FIEBRE Ediciones y The Dancehall Archive y Research Initiative. Esta publicación se centra en el fenómeno Dancehall Queen, un estilo de baile y estética femenina únicamente realizado por mujeres, que fue creado en 1992, y posteriormente transformado en concurso en 1999, en una época en la que esta escena musical y de danza estaba dominada por hombres heterosexuales. Explora la escena musical y cultural que preparó el escenario para Dancehall Queen y se relaciona con la moda, la danza y la música que conecta a Dancehall Queen con la cultura jamaicana.
Dancehall Queen: Erotic Subversion/Subversión Erótica is a bilingual book (English/Spanish) edited by Donna P. Hope and Carla Lamoyi and published by FIEBRE Ediciones and The Dancehall Archive and Research Initiative. This publication focuses on the Dancehall Queen phenomenon, a dance style and feminine aesthetic only performed by women, that was created in 1992, and later transformed into a contest in 1999, at a time when this musical and dance scene was dominated by heterosexual men. It explores the musical and cultural scene that set the stage for the Dancehall Queen and engages with the fashion, dance and music that connects the Dancehall Queen to Jamaican culture.
Español
Dancehall Queen: Erotic Subversion/Subversión Erótica es un libro bilingüe (inglés/español) editado por Donna P. Hope y Carla Lamoyi y publicado por FIEBRE Ediciones y The Dancehall Archive y Research Initiative. Esta publicación se centra en el fenómeno Dancehall Queen, un estilo de baile y estética femenina únicamente realizado por mujeres, que fue creado en 1992, y posteriormente transformado en concurso en 1999, en una época en la que esta escena musical y de danza estaba dominada por hombres heterosexuales. Explora la escena musical y cultural que preparó el escenario para Dancehall Queen y se relaciona con la moda, la danza y la música que conecta a Dancehall Queen con la cultura jamaicana.
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A motivational book based on Professor Hope's life journey from poverty. Chicken Back Gravy provides eight (8) Life Lessons that are useful along life's pathways.
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ReggaeStories is an edited collection that provides a range of perspectives on Jamaican Popular Music and Culture, in particular reggae and dancehall, and opens the door to new debates on these music forms and their producers and... more
ReggaeStories is an edited collection that provides a range of perspectives on Jamaican Popular Music and Culture, in particular reggae and dancehall, and opens the door to new debates on these music forms and their producers and creators. It moves through early musical debates and incendiary intellectual contributions in Jamaican reggae to trace Jamaican popular music in new geographical locales, and then returns home to contemporary dancehall posturing.
The collection makes a seminal contribution with its presentation of significant work on reggae music in the Hispanic Caribbean (Mexico), particularly for the benefit of English speakers and also introduces material on reggae music in the former Soviet Union (Belarus). It also makes a significant contribution in tackling Peter Tosh's intellectual and lyrical legacy as a reggae revolutionary in an era where he has received scant literary and academic attention. Contemporary debates on dancehall music culture's post-millennial identity posturings are explored in chapters on Tommy Lee and Vybz Kartel. ReggaeStories spans several important and connected points in the debates around adoption and adaptation of Jamaican popular music and culture in different cultural and geographical contexts while simultaneously extending the discussion on how these musical and cultural forms have been transformed or retained in differing localities.
The collection makes a seminal contribution with its presentation of significant work on reggae music in the Hispanic Caribbean (Mexico), particularly for the benefit of English speakers and also introduces material on reggae music in the former Soviet Union (Belarus). It also makes a significant contribution in tackling Peter Tosh's intellectual and lyrical legacy as a reggae revolutionary in an era where he has received scant literary and academic attention. Contemporary debates on dancehall music culture's post-millennial identity posturings are explored in chapters on Tommy Lee and Vybz Kartel. ReggaeStories spans several important and connected points in the debates around adoption and adaptation of Jamaican popular music and culture in different cultural and geographical contexts while simultaneously extending the discussion on how these musical and cultural forms have been transformed or retained in differing localities.
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Reggae from Yaad pulls together a remarkable cast of contributors offering contemporary interpretations of the history, culture, significance and social dynamics of Jamaican Popular Music from varying geographical and disciplinary... more
Reggae from Yaad pulls together a remarkable cast of contributors offering contemporary interpretations of the history, culture, significance and social dynamics of Jamaican Popular Music from varying geographical and disciplinary locations. From Alan 'Skill' Cole's lively and frank account of the Bob Marley he knew and David Katz's conversation with Bunny 'Striker' Lee, King Jammy and Bobby Digital; to Heather Augustyn and Shara Rambarran who both explore the role of music in the relationship between Britain and Jamaica in the post-independence 1960s, the contributors bring a new dimension to the discussion on the impact of Jamaican music. The work continues the ever-evolving discourse on the meaning behind the music and the cultural and social developments that inform same.
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International Reggae is an edited collection that presents a selection of papers from the 2010 International Reggae Conference. The book spans work on Jamaican popular music, in particular ska, reggae and dancehall, in both academic and... more
International Reggae is an edited collection that presents a selection of papers from the 2010 International Reggae Conference. The book spans work on Jamaican popular music, in particular ska, reggae and dancehall, in both academic and popular formats and represents the thought and ideas of academics, researchers, journalists and reggae aficionados that add depth and range to the chapters. The Chapters cover a range of topics including Youth, Violence, Gender, Homophobia, Transnationalism and interpretations of Rasta/Reggae and are presented in four provocative sections - Cultural Interpretations, Gendered Ruminations, Musical Conversations and Reggae/Rasta International.
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Man Vibes explores Jamaican masculinity through the male-dominated dancehall space that is simultaneously a celebration of the marginalized poor and also a challenge to social inequality. Using the prominent masculine debates that are... more
Man Vibes explores Jamaican masculinity through the male-dominated dancehall space that is simultaneously a celebration of the marginalized poor and also a challenge to social inequality. Using the prominent masculine debates that are articulated in dancehall music and culture, Hope explores transitions in Jamaican masculinities in the 21st Century. Dancehall's representations of Ole Dawg (promiscuity), Badman (violence), Chi Chi Man (anti-male homosexuality/homophobia), Bling Bling (conspicuous consumerism), and Fashion Ova Style (stylized transgressions and feminized posturings) are utilized in an evaluation of the relationships between dancehall culture and Jamaica's hegemonic standards of masculiinity.
Research Interests: Cultural Studies, Gender Studies, Popular Music, Popular Culture, Masculinity Studies, and 10 moreGender and Sexuality, Caribbean Studies, Jamaica, Masculinities, Homophobia, Studies On Men And Masculinity, Dancehall Music, Black Masculinity, Hegemonic Masculinity, and Caribbean popular music, dancehall culture
Inna di Dancehall explores the socio-political meanings of Jamaica’s dancehall culture. In particular, the book gives an account of the power relations within the dancehall and between the dancehall and the wider Jamaican society. The... more
Inna di Dancehall explores the socio-political meanings of Jamaica’s dancehall culture. In particular, the book gives an account of the power relations within the dancehall and between the dancehall and the wider Jamaican society. The author gives the reader an unmatched insider’s view and explanation of power, violence and gender relations in Jamaica as seen through the prism of the dancehall. Combining scholarship and anecdotal evidence, Hope delineates the complex web of socio-economic and political factors that shape cultural identity in the marginalized working-class communities in Jamaica out of which this powerful form of contemporary popular culture arises.
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ABSTRACT This paper examines identity construction and performance in Jamaican dancehall culture. It suggests that by utilizing publicly consumptive practices in the fluid space of the dancehall, the British Link-Up Crew draws on local... more
ABSTRACT This paper examines identity construction and performance in Jamaican dancehall culture. It suggests that by utilizing publicly consumptive practices in the fluid space of the dancehall, the British Link-Up Crew draws on local and global factors to re-present a form of masculinity that has arisen organically from Jamaican society. I do not argue for the homogeneity of this form of masculine identity but suggest that this highly consumptive and performative identity reflects the socio-political and economic status of particular groups of black men in Jamaican society who are denied real access to resources and power in the formal structures in the society. These men draw on different and often symbolic strategies, including consumption, masquerade and performance, to seek and extend their identity and masculine status. Through popularized lyrics and exaggerated performance styles, popular dancehall culture re-presents these discourses of identity and provides a key space for the negotiation of black masculinity and identity in Jamaica within the race/class/colour and gendered structures of power that create and maintain hierarchies of personhood. My main argument is that the consumptive and performative sites and strategies of masquerade used by men in the dancehall, as exemplified by British Link-Up, provide an arena where these actors can re-present their economic capital and refine their masculinities as power brokers in the dancehall community.
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A review of literature and an overview of the Caribbean/Jamaican Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs)from a Case Study Research (2014).
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Este trabajo es una sinopsis de la cultura de la música dancehall, de donde viene, algunos de sus temáticas más importantes y como estas resuenan en la sociedad y cultura jamaicana. Este artículo fue publicado originalmente en inglés –... more
Este trabajo es una sinopsis de la cultura de la música dancehall, de donde viene, algunos de sus temáticas más importantes y como estas resuenan en la sociedad y cultura jamaicana.
Este artículo fue publicado originalmente en inglés –
Hope, Donna P. “Dancehall: Origins, History, Future” en Groundings, Issue 26, July 2011, pp. 7-28. Esta traducción es un proyecto colaborativo de The Dancehall Archive and Research Initiative - info@dancehallarchive.org www.dancehallarchive.org
Este artículo fue publicado originalmente en inglés –
Hope, Donna P. “Dancehall: Origins, History, Future” en Groundings, Issue 26, July 2011, pp. 7-28. Esta traducción es un proyecto colaborativo de The Dancehall Archive and Research Initiative - info@dancehallarchive.org www.dancehallarchive.org
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This chapter examines one of the most contemporary and controversial expressions of masculinity in the Jamaican dancehall which I label ‘Fashion Ova Style’. It is brokered on a range of feminized aesthetics, public presentation of the... more
This chapter examines one of the most contemporary and controversial expressions of masculinity in the Jamaican dancehall which I label ‘Fashion Ova Style’. It is brokered on a range of feminized aesthetics, public presentation of the male body in dance performance and high levels of male homosociality in the public performance space. In this chapter, relevant examples are drawn from the costumes of men in the dancehall, dancehall performances, and the conspicuous attire and practices of male dancehall artistes like Elephant Man. The burgeoning appropriation and re-casting of stylistic dancing by hardcore dancehall men is explored as a part of this re-fashioning and repositioning of dancehall masculinity as a newly constituted variant that incorporates facets of all four dancehall masculine exemplars explored in my 2010 book, Man Vibes: Masculinities in the Jamaican Dancehall.
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As a part of a broader discussion on gender and sexuality in the Caribbean, this chapter examines the impact of popular culture in shaping normative conceptions of gender and sexuality. As such, it outlines the traditional, normative... more
As a part of a broader discussion on gender and sexuality in the Caribbean, this chapter examines the impact of popular culture in shaping normative conceptions of gender and sexuality. As such, it outlines the traditional, normative standards of gender and sexuality that have historically provided the foundation for popular cultural themes, and then move into a more contemporary discussion on the current trends.
The work uses examples from popular cultural forms, including music, roots theatre and slang, the paper will then attempt to map a thematic structure of popular cultural output, and its construction and dissemination of normalizing cues that impact on the conceptions of gender and sexuality. The impact of these popular cultural constructions on the perception and treatment of normative and, moreso, non-normative gender performances are also explored.
The chapter will points to a perceptible shift in the construction and performance of old versus new stereotypes and thus question the range of sexualities that are now given space within these popular cultural arenas.
The work uses examples from popular cultural forms, including music, roots theatre and slang, the paper will then attempt to map a thematic structure of popular cultural output, and its construction and dissemination of normalizing cues that impact on the conceptions of gender and sexuality. The impact of these popular cultural constructions on the perception and treatment of normative and, moreso, non-normative gender performances are also explored.
The chapter will points to a perceptible shift in the construction and performance of old versus new stereotypes and thus question the range of sexualities that are now given space within these popular cultural arenas.
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Book Chapter in ‘Reggae from Yaad: Traditional and emerging themes in Jamaican popular music’. Editor: Donna P. Hope. Ian Randle Publishers, Kingston, Jamaica.
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The movement of the Reggae revival, while it is not brand new there are still discussions describing the nature of the movement, specifically focusing on the ‘revival’ aspect and what it means. Other general discussions like the article... more
The movement of the Reggae revival, while it is not brand new there are still discussions describing the nature of the movement, specifically focusing on the ‘revival’ aspect and what it means. Other general discussions like the article in Vogue for example, focus on the manifestation of this movement, exploring how the artists met each other and what led them to be where they are now, how they have changed their lifestyles etc. There is no visible discussion surrounding how the reggae revival has carried out some of its objectives and the changes that can be speculated as causing a kind of ripple effect in the sound system culture, performance standard and creative industries. With that being said, research for this paper largely depended on methods of primary research such as conducting interviews and being a witness/patron of events like Dub School, Dub Club, Dubwise, Vinyl Thursdays, Ancient Future Live, Live From The Capital and so on. The focus of this research will explore the roles that this movement has played in the source of demand for live band and artist performances, the deliberate collaboration between artists and creative bodies resulting in sub-sectors in the cultural/creative industry and the resurgence of prominence and changes of the sound system culture.
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This article focuses on the male body in dancehall culture as a site of contested discourses of gender identity that emanate from and are impacted by the wider terrain of gendered and social discourses in Jamaican society. These... more
This article focuses on the male body in dancehall culture as a site of contested discourses of gender identity that emanate from and are impacted by the wider terrain of gendered and social discourses in Jamaican society. These discourses are debated in dancehall culture's lyrics, as well as in its other popular cultural manifestations—music videos, stage-show presentations, fashion and style, and dancehall slang, among others. This essay draws on contemporary dancehall lyrics, and other discursive tools, to highlight dancehall culture's selective positioning of the male body and its simultaneous play with and against manifestations of Jamaican hegemonic masculinity.
Este escrito se enfoca en el cuerpo masculino dentro de la cultura del dancehall como un escenario para discursos impugnados de identidad de genero que emanan de y son impactadas por un terreno mas amplio de discursos sociales y de genero dentro de la sociedad Jamaiquina. Estos discursos son debatidos por las lıricas de la cultura de dancehall, en adicion a otras de sus manifestaciones culturales populares, como lo son los videos musicales, presentaciones en el escenario, moda y estilo y jerga utilizada en el dancehall, entre otros. Este ensayo utiliza liricas contemporaneas del dancehall y otros discursos para llevar la atencion de los lectores hacia la posicion selectiva de la cultura de dancehall en relacion con el cuerpo masculino y su posicion a favor y en contra de las manifestaciones de hegemonıa de la masculinidad Jamaiquina.
Este escrito se enfoca en el cuerpo masculino dentro de la cultura del dancehall como un escenario para discursos impugnados de identidad de genero que emanan de y son impactadas por un terreno mas amplio de discursos sociales y de genero dentro de la sociedad Jamaiquina. Estos discursos son debatidos por las lıricas de la cultura de dancehall, en adicion a otras de sus manifestaciones culturales populares, como lo son los videos musicales, presentaciones en el escenario, moda y estilo y jerga utilizada en el dancehall, entre otros. Este ensayo utiliza liricas contemporaneas del dancehall y otros discursos para llevar la atencion de los lectores hacia la posicion selectiva de la cultura de dancehall en relacion con el cuerpo masculino y su posicion a favor y en contra de las manifestaciones de hegemonıa de la masculinidad Jamaiquina.
Research Interests: Cultural Studies, Gender Studies, Masculinity Studies, Gender and Sexuality, Gender, and 8 moreAutobiography, Jamaica, Masculinities, Autobiographical Self-Representation, Black Masculinity, Dancehall culture Jamaican music politics, Autobiography and life writing studies, and Caribbean popular music, dancehall culture
This journal article explores the construction of one variant of Jamaican national identity through the discursive pathways of its popular music, particularly Reggae and Dancehall. Using examples from these two genres, the paper examines... more
This journal article explores the construction of one variant of Jamaican national identity through the discursive pathways of its popular music, particularly Reggae and Dancehall. Using examples from these two genres, the paper examines the centrality and celebration of the weed/marijuana/ganja in these lyrical discourses. The work also theorizes the role of popular music, as a component of Jamaica’s sociocultural debates, in projecting identity discourses into the local, regional and international imagination. It argues that, these sociocultural projections, coupled with local ambivalence, have created an opening for a rendition of Jamaican national identity that is inextricably bonded to the weed/marijuana.
ABSTRACT Pon di Borderline: Exploring Constructions of Jamaican Masculinity in Dancehall and Roots Theatre This paper examines the 21st century construction of Anglophone Caribbean masculinities through the prism of two forms... more
ABSTRACT
Pon di Borderline: Exploring Constructions of Jamaican Masculinity in Dancehall and Roots Theatre
This paper examines the 21st century construction of Anglophone Caribbean masculinities through the prism of two forms masculinity that emanate from within the realms of Jamaican popular culture – dancehall and roots theatre. As such, this work interrogates two popular depictions of transitional masculine identity that are incarnated in the performance, style and persona of popular dancehall artiste Vybz Kartel and popular roots theatre star, Keith ‘Shebada’ Ramsay. Here, the work questions the cultural, ideological and power-making constructs that provide the foundation for these and related, popular, transitional masculine constructs.
In addition, the work attempts to locate the value and significance of these masculine constructs within and beyond their popular cultural locations and, in the final analysis, utilizes these popular masculine exemplars to argue for the changing role of Jamaican masculinities in the 21st Century.
Dr. Donna P. Hope
Pon di Borderline: Exploring Constructions of Jamaican Masculinity in Dancehall and Roots Theatre
This paper examines the 21st century construction of Anglophone Caribbean masculinities through the prism of two forms masculinity that emanate from within the realms of Jamaican popular culture – dancehall and roots theatre. As such, this work interrogates two popular depictions of transitional masculine identity that are incarnated in the performance, style and persona of popular dancehall artiste Vybz Kartel and popular roots theatre star, Keith ‘Shebada’ Ramsay. Here, the work questions the cultural, ideological and power-making constructs that provide the foundation for these and related, popular, transitional masculine constructs.
In addition, the work attempts to locate the value and significance of these masculine constructs within and beyond their popular cultural locations and, in the final analysis, utilizes these popular masculine exemplars to argue for the changing role of Jamaican masculinities in the 21st Century.
Dr. Donna P. Hope
This paper presents a synopsis of the main findings of the Dancehall/Violence study of 2009. The study assessed the relationship between dancehall culture and violence among youths in four parishes in Jamaica –Kingston and St. Andrew,... more
This paper presents a synopsis of the main findings of the Dancehall/Violence study of 2009. The study assessed the relationship between dancehall culture and violence among youths in four parishes in Jamaica –Kingston and St. Andrew, Clarendon and St. Catherine - during the summer of 2009.
This paper examines the production of celebrity in Jamaica through riotously festive funeral ceremonies, known as bling/dancehall funerals in Jamaica. It highlights the riotous energy of the dancehall body and the glare of media... more
This paper examines the production of celebrity in Jamaica through riotously festive funeral ceremonies, known as bling/dancehall funerals in Jamaica. It highlights the riotous energy of the dancehall body and the glare of media attention that explodes during the production of the funeral rites of prominent dancehall actors like Arnett Gardens Don , and leader of the Black Roses Crew , William “Willie Haggart” Moore, and Black Roses Crew member and Master Dancer Gerald “Bogle” Levy.
The paper explores the social and cultural role of bling/dancehall funerals in contemporary Jamaica and argues for their relevance within the rigidly classed structures of power in contemporary Jamaica.
Keywords: dancehall, culture, Jamaica, funerals, bling, bling-bling, identity, celebrity, performance, body, power, class, status
The paper explores the social and cultural role of bling/dancehall funerals in contemporary Jamaica and argues for their relevance within the rigidly classed structures of power in contemporary Jamaica.
Keywords: dancehall, culture, Jamaica, funerals, bling, bling-bling, identity, celebrity, performance, body, power, class, status
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UMI, ProQuest ® Dissertations & Theses. The world's most comprehensive collection of dissertations and theses. Learn more... ProQuest, Man vibes: Discourses of masculinity in Jamaican dancehall culture. by Hope, Donna P ...
This paper explores the cultural debates on skin lightening or ‘bleaching’ in Jamaica through the lens of popular music, in particular dancehall music culture. Social debates on skin lightening in Jamaican often identify this practice as... more
This paper explores the cultural debates on skin lightening or ‘bleaching’ in Jamaica through the lens of popular music, in particular dancehall music culture. Social debates on skin lightening in Jamaican often identify this practice as a form
of mental slippage, and as a solely epidermal manifestation of low self-esteem generated by white supremacist ideals that negate the black, African self. Yet, progressive dancehall debates and popular slang suggest that a progressive move
towards contemporary manifestations of skin bleaching are associated with contemporary modes of fashion and ungendered rites of beauty. As such, the paper draws on the lyrics and slang of dancehall artistes and delineates a path from Buju Banton’s Browning to Vybz Kartel’s Cake Soap as it attempts to flesh out the overlapping cultural debates that surround skin bleaching.
of mental slippage, and as a solely epidermal manifestation of low self-esteem generated by white supremacist ideals that negate the black, African self. Yet, progressive dancehall debates and popular slang suggest that a progressive move
towards contemporary manifestations of skin bleaching are associated with contemporary modes of fashion and ungendered rites of beauty. As such, the paper draws on the lyrics and slang of dancehall artistes and delineates a path from Buju Banton’s Browning to Vybz Kartel’s Cake Soap as it attempts to flesh out the overlapping cultural debates that surround skin bleaching.
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This paper examines the production of celebrity in Jamaica through riotously festive funeral ceremonies, known as bling/dancehall funerals in Jamaica. It highlights the riotous energy of the dancehall body and the glare of media... more
This paper examines the production of celebrity in Jamaica through riotously festive funeral ceremonies, known as bling/dancehall funerals in Jamaica. It highlights the riotous energy of the dancehall body and the glare of media attention that explodes during the production of the funeral rites of prominent dancehall actors like Arnett Gardens Don , and leader of the Black Roses Crew , William “Willie Haggart” Moore, and Black Roses Crew member and Master Dancer Gerald “Bogle” Levy.
The paper explores the social and cultural role of bling/dancehall funerals in contemporary Jamaica and argues for their relevance within the rigidly classed structures of power in contemporary Jamaica.
The paper explores the social and cultural role of bling/dancehall funerals in contemporary Jamaica and argues for their relevance within the rigidly classed structures of power in contemporary Jamaica.
Research Interests:
This paper explores skin lightening or ‘bleaching’ in Jamaica through the lens of popular dancehall culture. In Jamaica, skin lightening or bleaching is commonly problematized as the superficial manifestation of low self-esteem and/or... more
This paper explores skin lightening or ‘bleaching’ in Jamaica through the lens of popular dancehall culture. In Jamaica, skin lightening or bleaching is commonly problematized as the superficial manifestation of low self-esteem and/or ideals of whiteness purportedly working in concert to negate a black, African identity in a Eurocentric region. In addition, the practice is usually associated with poor urban women. Using dancehall culture’s debates about skin lightening/bleaching, I suggest that current manifestations of skin lightening/bleaching are more appropriately associated with modern modes and models of “appropriate” fashion and style that are socially and culturally relevant on the terrain of identities that flit across dancehall’s stage. Thus, while skin bleaching is viewed as the epiphenomena of an identity in crisis or the effluent of mental instability, it is more appropriately figured in this space as an almost grotesque reversion of ideas of beauty in this space. In the final analysis, where skin bleaching is coded as feminized by non-bleachers, it is figured as a gendered, aesthetic rite of a fashioned and styled personhood that reflects the Fashion Ova Style ethos of contemporary dancehall culture.
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This paper examines identity construction and performance in Jamaican dancehall culture. It suggests that by utilizing publicly consumptive practices in the fluid space of the dancehall, the British Link-Up Crew draws on local and global... more
This paper examines identity construction and performance in Jamaican dancehall culture. It suggests that by utilizing publicly consumptive practices in the fluid space of the dancehall, the British Link-Up Crew draws on local and global factors to re-present a form of masculinity that has arisen
organically from Jamaican society. I do not argue for the homogeneity of this form of masculine identity but suggest that this highly consumptive and performative identity reflects the socio-political and economic status of particular groups of black men in Jamaican society who are denied real access
to resources and power in the formal structures in the society. These men draw on different and often symbolic strategies, including consumption, masquerade and performance, to seek and extend their identity and masculine
status.
Through popularized lyrics and exaggerated performance styles, popular dancehall culture re-presents these discourses of identity and provides a key space for the negotiation of black masculinity and identity in Jamaica within the race/class/colour and gendered structures of power that create and maintain hierarchies of personhood.
organically from Jamaican society. I do not argue for the homogeneity of this form of masculine identity but suggest that this highly consumptive and performative identity reflects the socio-political and economic status of particular groups of black men in Jamaican society who are denied real access
to resources and power in the formal structures in the society. These men draw on different and often symbolic strategies, including consumption, masquerade and performance, to seek and extend their identity and masculine
status.
Through popularized lyrics and exaggerated performance styles, popular dancehall culture re-presents these discourses of identity and provides a key space for the negotiation of black masculinity and identity in Jamaica within the race/class/colour and gendered structures of power that create and maintain hierarchies of personhood.
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This is Part 2 of a two-part series on Jamaica's class system. Using Carl Stone's work I prepare a graphic representation of Jamaica's Class System in the early 1980s based on his work. I unpack the false notion of a generalized "middle... more
This is Part 2 of a two-part series on Jamaica's class system. Using Carl Stone's work I prepare a graphic representation of Jamaica's Class System in the early 1980s based on his work. I unpack the false notion of a generalized "middle class" that is tied mainly to popular consumption, instead of wealth accumulation. The paper aims to provoke debate and research around this significantly under-researched but very visible and pervasive aspect of Jamaica's social and political structures.
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This first part of a two-part series, this article briefly examines Jamaica's class structure, using the work of Carl Stone. It highlights several critical components of this pervasive class system and opens the space for more discussion.
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The first time I ever came in contact with any form of scamming was during one of my infrequent trips to New York in the early 1990s. Some of my friends had migrated, (or run off) to the USA and were figuring out their immigration status... more
The first time I ever came in contact with any form of scamming was during one of my infrequent trips to New York in the early 1990s. Some of my friends had migrated, (or run off) to the USA and were figuring out their immigration status while hustling away in Brooklyn or the Bronx. One such friend explained that a planned shopping trip was imminent because of "a new credit card" that had been acquired from "the credit card guy" for US$50.00 with a spending limit of US$500. I did not understand. Back then, ordinary Jamaicans did not have credit cards. We saw them in movies, and marvelled at how 'rich' these people were, who could run a card and buy anything they needed.
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Jamaica's music operates as a global cultural force, moving beyond borders to bring messages to its fans and supporters. The article connects Reggae and celebrations of Jamaican music to the celebration of Black History Month in the... more
Jamaica's music operates as a global cultural force, moving beyond borders to bring messages to its fans and supporters. The article connects Reggae and celebrations of Jamaican music to the celebration of Black History Month in the USA. Using the career of the late Toots Hibbert as a case in point, Hope highlights the diversity of Jamaica's Reggae music product and its relationship to genres like Dancehall.
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How do you monetise culture? That is the key question for music industry players as we all chart our way forward into and beyond this pandemic era. Yet, in the face of ongoing curfews, lockdowns, travel restrictions and unequal global... more
How do you monetise culture? That is the key question for music industry players as we all chart our way forward into and beyond this pandemic era. Yet, in the face of ongoing curfews, lockdowns, travel restrictions and unequal global access to vaccines, Jamaica's music industry has continued to search frantically to find ways and means to innovate and maintain income streams.
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This article reflects on Kanye West's visit to Jamaica in October 2019 to promote his Sunday Service via a free concert in Kingston. It connects Jamaica's recognition as a global cultural signifier for black popular cultural forms and... more
This article reflects on Kanye West's visit to Jamaica in October 2019 to promote his Sunday Service via a free concert in Kingston. It connects Jamaica's recognition as a global cultural signifier for black popular cultural forms and ruminates on Kanye West's explicit moves to piggyback his marketing strategies on Brand Jamaica's visibility.
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Kingston was one of 47 cities added to UNESCO's list of Creative Cities. The specific designation was for music, one of the categories recognised by UNESCO. While Jamaica, and Kingston in particular, can boast creative activities in film,... more
Kingston was one of 47 cities added to UNESCO's list of Creative Cities. The specific designation was for music, one of the categories recognised by UNESCO. While Jamaica, and Kingston in particular, can boast creative activities in film, literature, the culinary arts, and others, none of these stand at the level of music, with its more than half a century of activity. During this time, Jamaica has gifted the world eight distinct genres of music, including mento, ska, rocksteady, reggae, dub, and dancehall. Kingston is the music capital of the entire region and is more than worthy of this designation. But this notion of a creative city is a 21st century concept. The idea, coming from Charles Landry and his advocates, is that old ways of thinking and living have to give way to new ways of thinking and urban living. Old things have to be made new. This new creative city is an inclusive, participatory space in which the means to making a living is through culture and creativity. Nowhere has this been more evident in the 21st century than in what I call dancehall's ecosystem. This urban ecosystem, founded squarely on a culture of chaos and noise, has continued to clash with ideas of the city as a primarily residential location, where creative and commercial activities take pride of place over the needs of residents for undisturbed peace and quiet.
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Driven by hype, image and colourful lyrics and slang, Dancehall Culture's creative industries have exploded and expanded beyond Jamaica's borders. The role of new technologies, social media, and the Internet in this expansion is critical... more
Driven by hype, image and colourful lyrics and slang, Dancehall Culture's creative industries have exploded and expanded beyond Jamaica's borders. The role of new technologies, social media, and the Internet in this expansion is critical as the core of dancehall's actors and creators continue to exist on the fringes of formal social, economic and political structures in Jamaican society.
Using contemporary examples from the burgeoning industry of dancehall dance, this paper traces the spread of dancehall’s creative industries across multiple borders, beyond language and geography. It draws on narratives from critical actors in this arena and explores the connections to Jamaican identity and Brand Jamaica that resonate in these multiple spaces. In so doing it also zeroes in on key issues of cultural authenticity and the role of non-indigenous actors in replicating, marketing and branding Jamaican culture.
Using contemporary examples from the burgeoning industry of dancehall dance, this paper traces the spread of dancehall’s creative industries across multiple borders, beyond language and geography. It draws on narratives from critical actors in this arena and explores the connections to Jamaican identity and Brand Jamaica that resonate in these multiple spaces. In so doing it also zeroes in on key issues of cultural authenticity and the role of non-indigenous actors in replicating, marketing and branding Jamaican culture.
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Since its rise to cultural prominence in the early 1980s, Jamaican dancehall music and culture has produced a rich socio-cultural storehouse of philosophical narratives on Jamaican life and culture. The lyrical treatises, socio-cultural... more
Since its rise to cultural prominence in the early 1980s, Jamaican dancehall music and culture has produced a rich socio-cultural storehouse of philosophical narratives on Jamaican life and culture. The lyrical treatises, socio-cultural narratives, attitudes and deliberations of many dancehall artistes and actors promote and project value-laden philosophical standpoints that are often perceived as in direct contestation with the society’s ethical standpoint and dominant social values. Indeed, several individual artistes have, over time, being accused of impacting negatively on the social fabric of Jamaica and the minds of impressionable youths with their slack and/or violent lyrics (e.g. Yellowman, Ninja Man, Shabba Ranks, Bounti Killa, Potential Kidd, and Vybz Kartel).
Drawing on select material around the rise and fall of dancehall superstar Vybz Kartel, and reactions to the recent 10:1 guilty verdict on charges of murder for this artiste and three of his co-accuseds, this paper critically engages with the longstanding “clash of values” between dancehall and Jamaican society. Many social/media/face-to-face discussions project this clash of values through the prism of high vs. low morals and situate dancehall culture in deliberate and constant breach of traditional/good moral and ethical values in Jamaica. Yet, dancehall’s advocates, fans and supporters, and, in this instance, Kartel’s visible, vocal and vociferous fans, insist that more is at stake than just a clash of values – rather it is a clash of classes in a struggle for resources – dem a fight di ghetto youths.
My work on dancehall for nearly two decades has interrogated multiple points on this continuum, drawing on a variety of empirical and documented sources. None prove as stimulating and provide as rich data, as the very site of dancehall’s greatest challenge, its provocative and contestatory lyrics and the men and few women who create and deliver them. Vybz Kartel’s Jamaica’s most contemporary superstar, lyricist and fallen king stands, in my opinion, as one of the most controversial dancehall artistes of this time. With the ebb and flow of high emotion in the wake of Kartel’s and three of his co-accused’s guilty verdict for murder, pending sentencing and a possible appeal, my original paper, has been modified to delve into what I call the Kartellian phenomenon in dancehall as I sift through the discussion on values, ethical principles and morality that has dogged dancehall culture since its rise to prominence in the early 1980s.
Drawing on select material around the rise and fall of dancehall superstar Vybz Kartel, and reactions to the recent 10:1 guilty verdict on charges of murder for this artiste and three of his co-accuseds, this paper critically engages with the longstanding “clash of values” between dancehall and Jamaican society. Many social/media/face-to-face discussions project this clash of values through the prism of high vs. low morals and situate dancehall culture in deliberate and constant breach of traditional/good moral and ethical values in Jamaica. Yet, dancehall’s advocates, fans and supporters, and, in this instance, Kartel’s visible, vocal and vociferous fans, insist that more is at stake than just a clash of values – rather it is a clash of classes in a struggle for resources – dem a fight di ghetto youths.
My work on dancehall for nearly two decades has interrogated multiple points on this continuum, drawing on a variety of empirical and documented sources. None prove as stimulating and provide as rich data, as the very site of dancehall’s greatest challenge, its provocative and contestatory lyrics and the men and few women who create and deliver them. Vybz Kartel’s Jamaica’s most contemporary superstar, lyricist and fallen king stands, in my opinion, as one of the most controversial dancehall artistes of this time. With the ebb and flow of high emotion in the wake of Kartel’s and three of his co-accused’s guilty verdict for murder, pending sentencing and a possible appeal, my original paper, has been modified to delve into what I call the Kartellian phenomenon in dancehall as I sift through the discussion on values, ethical principles and morality that has dogged dancehall culture since its rise to prominence in the early 1980s.
This paper builds on earlier work on the post-millennial manifestations of Rastafari in Jamaican popular music to examine what has become identified as the 2nd wave of Rasta Renaissance/Renewal in Jamaican popular music since the turn of... more
This paper builds on earlier work on the post-millennial manifestations of Rastafari in Jamaican popular music to examine what has become identified as the 2nd wave of Rasta Renaissance/Renewal in Jamaican popular music since the turn of the millennium. This renewed wave of Rastafari infused musical treatises, led by a core group of young artistes, is aggressively carving out a space within contemporary musical debates in Jamaica, by arguing for its value and relevance in a society and musical landscape that has ‘gone astray’. Yet, locked with this religious worldview is a driving force that feeds from an explicit and thus contradictory capitalist ethos in a musical debate that is driven by the philosophical and religious ethos of an anti-capitalist, egalitarian worldview.
Using comparative analysis based on select case studies and interwoven with lyrical text, this paper highlights similarities and differences between both post-millennial, 1st and 2nd waves of Rastafari music within the wider framework of Jamaican popular music, and evaluates the relationship of this current manifestation to select thematic strands of Rastafari philosophy.
Keywords: Reggae, Rastafari, Rastafari Renaissance, Reggae Revival, 21st Century, Jamaican Popular Music, Capitalism
Using comparative analysis based on select case studies and interwoven with lyrical text, this paper highlights similarities and differences between both post-millennial, 1st and 2nd waves of Rastafari music within the wider framework of Jamaican popular music, and evaluates the relationship of this current manifestation to select thematic strands of Rastafari philosophy.
Keywords: Reggae, Rastafari, Rastafari Renaissance, Reggae Revival, 21st Century, Jamaican Popular Music, Capitalism
This paper examines Jamaican popular music within the broader framework of strategic culture and explores how Jamaican popular music has become an avenue for exporting Jamaican culture and ideas about Jamaica and Jamaican identity into... more
This paper examines Jamaican popular music within the broader framework of strategic culture and explores how Jamaican popular music has become an avenue for exporting Jamaican culture and ideas about Jamaica and Jamaican identity into the world, therefore operating as a tool for branding the country in particular ways that may (or may not) have helped to ensure its national security. As such, the paper beings with a brief overview of the development of Jamaican popular music, and continues by suggesting how some of these ideas (particularly in reggae and dancehall music culture) coalesce into themes that make statements about the meaning of Jamaica and Jamaican identity in the international context as a component of Jamaica’s strategic-cultural framework.
Notions of the weed, herb, high grade, ganja, sensi, collie, kaya or marijuana are constructed and projected through Jamaican popular music as an important cultural tenet of Jamaican life and activity. These lyrical projections draw from... more
Notions of the weed, herb, high grade, ganja, sensi, collie, kaya or marijuana are constructed and projected through Jamaican popular music as an important cultural tenet of Jamaican life and activity. These lyrical projections draw from and build upon the centrality of marijuana as a herb of healing and religious centrality in Rastafari culture, and move beyond to idolize marijuana as an organic facet of an unspoiled and pristine island. Using the lyrics of select Reggae and Dancehall songs, this paper examines the popular cultural centrality of high grade or marijuana in Jamaican popular music and explores how the outward projection of this popular music dialogue constructs and represents Jamaica as an international “Weed Mecca”.
This paper examines dancehall culture’s particularistic policing of male sexuality through its dissemination of anti-homosexual lyrics. Jamaican patriarchy privileges male heterosexuality and this gender bias is informed by Jamaica’s... more
This paper examines dancehall culture’s particularistic policing of male sexuality through its dissemination of anti-homosexual lyrics. Jamaican patriarchy privileges male heterosexuality and this gender bias is informed by Jamaica’s historical legacies and supported by its social, legislative and religious structures. Dancehall culture, as an ideal site for inner-city and working class Afro-Jamaican male identity negotiation, has since Buju Banton’s 1990s delivery of his controversial song “Boom Bye Bye,” fed[?] on this heterosexual bias in its ritualistic communication of inflammatory and condemnatory discourses of anti-male homosexuality.
Dancehall’s lyrical treatises act as alternative communication to symbolize and reinforce one variant of Afro-Jamaican masculinity, which is sustained by the existence of the male homosexual. Popular dancehall music and culture represent the most extreme and graphic manifestation of this anti-homosexual discourse, which pervades the structures of Jamaican society.
KEY WORDS: dancehall, Jamaica, homophobia, homosexual, masculinity, patriarchy, gender, popular culture, Caribbean.
Dancehall’s lyrical treatises act as alternative communication to symbolize and reinforce one variant of Afro-Jamaican masculinity, which is sustained by the existence of the male homosexual. Popular dancehall music and culture represent the most extreme and graphic manifestation of this anti-homosexual discourse, which pervades the structures of Jamaican society.
KEY WORDS: dancehall, Jamaica, homophobia, homosexual, masculinity, patriarchy, gender, popular culture, Caribbean.
This 2022 IWD Presentation assesses the advancement of Jamaican Women in the Post-Independence era. The presentation highlights some key educational infrastructure in Jamaica that paved the way for the advancement of women. Drawing from... more
This 2022 IWD Presentation assesses the advancement of Jamaican Women in the Post-Independence era. The presentation highlights some key educational infrastructure in Jamaica that paved the way for the advancement of women. Drawing from her own life, Professor Hope identifies important images of empowered Jamaican womanhood from different sectors that were important in the lives and minds of young Jamaican women of the 1980s and beyond.
Research Interests: Gender Studies, Popular Culture, Gender, Gender Equality, Jamaica, and 11 moreFeminism, Women's Empowerment, Gender and education, Identity, Patriarchy, Women in Politics, Dancehall culture Jamaican music politics, Glass ceiling, Women in business, Leadership and Management, Jamaican Popular Culture, Portia Simpson Miller, and Womens Studies
In the wake of intense media focus and attention on the murder trial of Vybz Kartel/Adidja Palmer, and the swirl of public debate around his guilty verdict and sentencing, this paper builds on recent work on the Kartel phenomenon to... more
In the wake of intense media focus and attention on the murder trial of Vybz Kartel/Adidja Palmer, and the swirl of public debate around his guilty verdict and sentencing, this paper builds on recent work on the Kartel phenomenon to problematize discussions around the marriage of popular culture and the culture of celebrity in the Jamaican dancehall.
In so doing, the work highlights select points on the media frenzy that coalesced around a continuum beginning with Kartel’s rise to dancehall dominance and superstardom, and his subsequent fall from grace. Here, the work analyzes the role of the Jamaican media in the promotion of a cult of celebrity around dancehall’s exemplars, and, in this instance, its fallen hero, Vybz Kartel. The work also provides an overview of dancehall culture as a contemporary popular cultural site that operates in direct contestation to the traditional social order by maintaining a transgressive nature that problematizes social and cultural discourses and provokes discomfort around accepted value systems and social structures in Jamaica.
In so doing, the work highlights select points on the media frenzy that coalesced around a continuum beginning with Kartel’s rise to dancehall dominance and superstardom, and his subsequent fall from grace. Here, the work analyzes the role of the Jamaican media in the promotion of a cult of celebrity around dancehall’s exemplars, and, in this instance, its fallen hero, Vybz Kartel. The work also provides an overview of dancehall culture as a contemporary popular cultural site that operates in direct contestation to the traditional social order by maintaining a transgressive nature that problematizes social and cultural discourses and provokes discomfort around accepted value systems and social structures in Jamaica.
Over the last two decades, there has been growing attention to the cultural/creative industries sector as a route to economic and social development. Yet, developing countries like Jamaica continue to struggle to wrest the full rewards... more
Over the last two decades, there has been growing attention to the cultural/creative industries sector as a route to economic and social development. Yet, developing countries like Jamaica continue to struggle to wrest the full rewards from their rich cultural heritage and expressions, and to hone existing cultural/creative enterprises into developed entities that can guide this process.
Using relevant examples, this presentation examines the cultural implications of marketing Jamaican culture in a global context. In so doing, it explores the tensions between often intangible cultural expression and practice locally, and the transformation of these forms of knowledge and meaning into tangible products that can be globally marketed for the benefit of the society.
Using relevant examples, this presentation examines the cultural implications of marketing Jamaican culture in a global context. In so doing, it explores the tensions between often intangible cultural expression and practice locally, and the transformation of these forms of knowledge and meaning into tangible products that can be globally marketed for the benefit of the society.
This paper is a synopsis of dancehall music culture, where it comes from, some of its important themes, and how these themes resonate with Jamaican society and culture. Dancehall is perceived by many as a loud noise and space that is... more
This paper is a synopsis of dancehall music culture, where it comes from, some of its important themes, and how these themes resonate with Jamaican society and culture. Dancehall is perceived by many as a loud noise and space that is bothersome and loaded with many themes that are problematic. For others, it is a place of many sounds, songs and themes that tell a great deal about the lives of mainly working class Jamaicans who are struggling to create fantasies of self that they can articulate and utilize to project themselves.
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through riotously festive funeral ceremonies, known as bling/dancehall funerals in Jamaica. It highlights the riotous energy of the dancehall body and the glare of media attention that explodes during the production of the funeral rites... more
through riotously festive funeral ceremonies, known as bling/dancehall funerals in Jamaica. It highlights the riotous energy of the dancehall body and the glare of media attention that explodes during the production of the funeral rites of prominent dancehall actors like Arnett Gardens Don, and leader of the Black Roses Crew, William ‘Willie Haggart ’ Moore, and Black Roses Crew member and Master Dancer Gerald ‘Bogle ’ Levy. The discussions herein grapple with Turner’s exploration of the cultural function of celebrity and his definition of celebrity. In addition, the article tackles the classed hierarchies of power that undergird social life in Jamaica and thus locates bling/dancehall funerals within the socio-cultural sphere. K E Y W O R D S bling bling-bling body celebrity class culture dancehall funerals identity Jamaica performance power status Funerals in Jamaica The social role of funerals in contemporary Jamaica is linked to the historical specificities of plantation slavery ...
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Research Interests: Genealogy and Groundings
This article focuses on the male body in dancehall culture as a site of contested discourses of gender identity that emanate from and are impacted by the wider terrain of gendered and social discourses in Jamaican society. These... more
This article focuses on the male body in dancehall culture as a site of contested discourses of gender identity that emanate from and are impacted by the wider terrain of gendered and social discourses in Jamaican society. These discourses are debated in dancehall culture's lyrics, as well as in its other popular cultural manifestations—music videos, stage-show presentations, fashion and style, and dancehall slang, among others. This essay draws on contemporary dancehall lyrics, and other discursive tools, to highlight dancehall culture's selective positioning of the male body and its simultaneous play with and against manifestations of Jamaican hegemonic masculinity. Este escrito se enfoca en el cuerpo masculino dentro de la cultura del dancehall como un escenario para discursos impugnados de identidad de genero que emanan de y son impactadas por un terreno mas amplio de discursos sociales y de genero dentro de la sociedad Jamaiquina. Estos discursos son debatidos por las lıricas de la cultura de dancehall, en adicion a otras de sus manifestaciones culturales populares, como lo son los videos musicales, presentaciones en el escenario, moda y estilo y jerga utilizada en el dancehall, entre otros. Este ensayo utiliza liricas contemporaneas del dancehall y otros discursos para llevar la atencion de los lectores hacia la posicion selectiva de la cultura de dancehall en relacion con el cuerpo masculino y su posicion a favor y en contra de las manifestaciones de hegemonıa de la masculinidad Jamaiquina.
Research Interests: Cultural Studies, Gender Studies, Art, Narrative, Masculinity Studies, and 11 moreGender and Sexuality, Gender, Autobiography, Jamaica, Masculinities, Autobiographical Self-Representation, Literary studies, Black Masculinity, Dancehall culture Jamaican music politics, Autobiography and life writing studies, and Music Teacher Identity
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Este artigo explora uma das variacoes da identidade nacional jamaicana atraves das trajetorias discursivas da musica popular, particularmente o reggae e a danca de salao. Usando exemplos destes dois generos, o artigo examina a... more
Este artigo explora uma das variacoes da identidade nacional jamaicana atraves das trajetorias discursivas da musica popular, particularmente o reggae e a danca de salao. Usando exemplos destes dois generos, o artigo examina a centralidade e celebracao da herva marihuana nesses discursos liricos. O trabalho tambem teoriza o papel da musica popular como um compoente dos debates socio-culturais jamaicanos, projetando discursos identitarios no imaginario local, regional e internacional. O argumento do artigo coloca que esta projecao acompanhada de uma ambivalencia local tem criado uma abertura para uma interpretacao da identidade nacional jamaicana que esta inextricavelmente vinculada a marihuana. Palavras-chaves: Marihuana. Danca de Salao. Reggae Resumen Este articulo explora una de las variantes de la identidad nacional jamaicana a traves de las trayectorias discursivas de la musica popular, particularmente el reggae y la danza de salon. Usando ejemplos de estos dos generos, el artic...
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JENdA: A Journal of Culture and African Women Studies, No 14 (2009). ...
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This work provides an accessible account of a poorly understood aspect of Jamaican popular culture. It explores the socio-political meanings of Jamaica's dancehall culture. In particular, the book gives an account of the power... more
This work provides an accessible account of a poorly understood aspect of Jamaican popular culture. It explores the socio-political meanings of Jamaica's dancehall culture. In particular, the book gives an account of the power relations within the dancehall and between the dancehall and the wider Jamaican society. Hope gives the reader an unmatched insider's view and explanation of power, violence and gender relations in Jamaica as seen through the prism of the dancehall.