IDRC : experiment in international development

In IDL-406

Cultural action and social change : the case of Jamaica; an essay in Caribbean cultural identity

Also published by the Institute of Jamaica, KingstonMonograph on the cultural heritage and the cultural factors of social change in the Caribbean, particularly in Jamaica - discusses the dilemma of cultural diversity and national unity, legacy of slavery and colonialism; cultural nationalism, preservation of traditional cultural values and art; cultural policy formulation, role of the arts and the mass media in national development; cultural integration and regional cooperation. Bibliographic notes

Historical geography, climbing and mountaineering: route setting for an inclusive future

This article seeks to review work broadly defined as the historical geographies of mountaineering and climbing. As such, it outlines the links between mountaineering, colonialism, and vertical ascent as well as the historical geographies of rock climbing which speak to the culture, practices, and technologies of climbing. In outlining past work, particular attention is paid to the hidden and gendered histories of climbing and mountaineering. This moves discussion beyond common place tales of white privilege and Western philosophies of conquer through ascendancy to tackle the broader ways by which mountaineering and climbing have been explored by academic geography. A holistic appreciation of work on this topic, it is argued, can not only help the geographical discipline to deal with its colonial past but also show how the historical geographies of mountaineering and climbing fit within efforts to decolonise the discipline, include wider voices, and utilise archives unknown

Sonic diaspora, vibrations and rhythm: thinking through the sounding of the Jamaican dancehall session

The propagation of vibrations may provide a better way of understanding diasporic spread than the conventional focus on the circulation of products (Hall 1980, Appadurai 1986, 1996, Gilroy 1993a, Brah 1996). Jamaican sound systems operate as a broadcast medium and a source of CDs, DVDs and other commercial products (Henriques 2007a). But the dancehall sound system session also propagates a broad spectrum of frequencies diffused through a range of media and activities - described as “sounding” (following Small’s 1998 concept of “musicking”). These include the material vibrations of the signature low-pitched auditory frequencies of Reggae as a bass culture (Johnson 1980), at the loudness of “sonic dominance” (Henriques 2003). Secondly a session propagates the corporeal vibrations of rituals, dance routines and bass-line “riddims” (Veal 2007). Thirdly it propagates the ethereal vibrations (Henriques 2007b), “vibes” or atmosphere of the sexually charged popular subculture by which the crowd (audience) appreciate each dancehall session as part of the Dancehall scene (Cooper 2004). The paper concludes that thinking though vibrating frequencies makes it easier to appreciate how audiences with no direct or inherited connection with a particular music genre can be energetically infected and affected - to form a sonic diaspora