Inna Di Dancehall - Popular Culture and the Politics of Identity in Jamaica (2006)

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Donna P. Hope is an academic scholar in the field of dancehall culture. MORE ABOUT DONNA HOPE

The book enlightens the reader in the field of dancehall culture and the seperate, but related, culture of lower class Jamaica. The book describes the various roles of the dancehall to its wide range of purveyors and consumers, both as a form of escapism from the harsh realities of ghetto life and as a route to economic prosperity.

Inna Di Dancehall also describes many aspect of Jamaican society, including the culture of male / female relationships in Jamaica, the etiquette and politics of polygamic relationships, the inequality races of the sexes, the prevalence of violence and the widespread presence of homophopia. Throughout the book the importance of the need to assert identity is emphasized and explored as the underlying driving force behind all of these observable aspects of Jamaican popular culture.

Naturally, Inna Di Dancehall also covers the work of the musical artists of the dancehall. Dancehall lyrics are used to illustrate the points made about Jamaican culture, with lyrics being reproduced in Patois, with translations in to conventional English.

© 2006 Jamaica Travel and Culture .com

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