Date of Award

12-1997

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

Sociology

First Advisor

Dr. Douglas Davidson

Second Advisor

Paula Brush

Third Advisor

Dr. Lewis Walker

Access Setting

Masters Thesis-Open Access

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to see if the reggae music that became popular in the United States was ideologically different from the reggae that originated in Jamaica. The hypothesized change was derived from a model developed by Humphrey Regis (1994, 1988) labeled “cultural domination by re-exportation”. It was determined that early reggae music and the Rastafarian religion had very similar ideologies. The change within reggae music was measured against the Rastafarian belief system.

A content analysis of twenty-five songs was undertaken. The method of doing ideological analysis of the reggae lyrics was derived from Cormack (1992). The sample to be analyzed was divided into three stages in the evolution of reggae. First, a base sample of early reggae songs were analyzed to determine the degree that the Rastafarian ideology was linked to reggae. The remaining songs that were sampled came from the U.S. black contemporary charts and then U.S. popular music charts.

This research found that the reggae music that became popular in the United States was ideologically different from the reggae that originated in Jamaica. Problems with Regis' model of change are also discussed. Suggestions for future research are given.

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