Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
Date of Degree
6-2023
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.A.
Program
Liberal Studies
Advisor
Nathalie Etoke
Subject Categories
African American Studies | Africana Studies
Abstract
The aim of this project is to shed light on queer experiences in dancehall music and culture. By doing this, I hope to dispel transnational stereotypes against dancehall music. Globally, the idea that dancehall music is grounded in homophobic and violent frameworks has taken hold. The global stigmatization of dancehall music has concrete political, social, and economic consequences for Jamaica. The aim of my research is two-fold. I intend to shed light on queer experiences and aesthetics within dancehall music and culture. By highlighting these experiences and analyzing interpersonal dynamics within dancehall music and culture, I intend to show that global stereotypes concerning homophobia in dancehall music, and more broadly, in Jamaica, are not always well-founded. I intend to write against Americentric frameworks of analysis concerning sexual and gender identities which are often misapplied by scholars and the general public to understand queer experiences in the Caribbean. In order to resolve this issue, I will draw from the rich body of scholarly literature on Caribbean queer experiences. It is crucial that the theoretical literature that I include in this project be produced by scholars and people who are from the Caribbean.
Recommended Citation
Guchinov, Robert, "Queer Aesthetics in Dancehall Lyrical Content: 2013-2023" (2023). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/5345
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