Universiẗat, Dipl.-Arb. 2007--Bern, 2007.

This research addressed two areas of interest: the contemporary role of American public diplomacy in the post-9/11 world and the formal and informal role of hip-hop music in 21st century American public diplomacy. This study examined the formal and informal role of hip-hop music in American public diplomacy to determine the degree to which the U.S. government is formally employing hip-hop music as a tool for public diplomacy. The researcher hypothesized that the U.S. government uses hip-hop music as means to champion its foreign policy objectives and American democratic values vis-à vis cultural imperialism. This study employed the case study model as its principal research method and used three data analysis techniques: content analysis, process model analysis, and voice analysis. The conclusion whether hip-hop reflects or champions American cultural imperialism is mixed. From a formal perspective, the answer is no for three reasons: the stated objectives of the Rhythm Road program, the types of artists that are chosen to serve as cultural diplomats, and the prior existence of hip-hop communities throughout the world. On the other hand, when considering informal hip-hop diplomacy from an economic and political perspective, it is feasible to argue that it does reflect what James Petras describes as American cultural imperialism. In the final analysis, the researcher concludes that the U.S. government does in fact practice and promote cultural imperialism vis-à-vis public diplomacy: however, the use of hip-hop music in the formal process plays no significant role in this process.

This thesis examines and analyzes the controversy around white rapper Eminem to inspect the way in which black and white theories of belonging function within an American context. The assumption behind the racial dichotomy that defines whites and blacks in oppositional positive and negative terms presumes that identity is structured along race stereotypes. This belief is evident in the differing responses to Eminem's affiliation with hip-hop culture and through the extent in which he employs hip-hop cultural forms, styles, and traits into his rap image. Although a popular mainstream artist, Eminem (and his "thug" Slim Shady alter ego) maintains his credibility within hip-hop circles by using elements of parody, play, and persona to depict his satirical views of American life. Finally, the systematic attacks against Eminem that label him as deviant are rarely levelled against other black rappers, exposing the different societal expectations that exist for whites and blacks.

Zugl.: Graz, Univ., Diss., 2006

Stuttgart, FH, Diplomarb., 1999.

Zugl.: Mainz, Univ., Diss., 2009

vii, 41 p. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / The purpose of this study was to identify and define the essential characteristics of hip hop dance. Hip hop dance has taken many forms throughout its four decades of existence. This research shows that regardless of the form there are three prominent characteristics: performance, personal style, and competition. Although it is possible to isolate the study of each of these characteristics, they are inseparable when defining hip hop dance. There are several genre-specific performance formats in which hip hop dance is experienced. Personal style includes the individuality and creativity that is celebrated in the hip hop dancer. Competition is the inherent driving force that pushes hip hop dancers to extend the form's physical limitations. Defining these vital characteristics in the vernacular context should help dancers, scholars, and educators to develop a better understanding of hip hop dance. / Committee in Charge: Jenifer P. Craig Ph.D., Chair; Steven Chatfield Ph.D.; Christian B. Cherry MM

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-12T16:30:30Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 arquivo860_1.pdf: 3533003 bytes, checksum: 268883a20745ad2701f1fe6b8cbbb475 (MD5) license.txt: 1748 bytes, checksum: 8a4605be74aa9ea9d79846c1fba20a33 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010 / O presente trabalho se propõe a analisar as relações que a(s) juventude(s) possuem com o espaço periférico. Para isso, escolheu-se, como facilitador dessa análise, uma Rede que está presente ao menos esteve inicialmente, podendo ter muito mais hoje em cinquenta e uma comunidades da Região Metropolitana do Recife (RMR). Essa Rede uniu-se com o objetivo de articular grafiteiros(as) da RMR para pautar propostas para articulação nas comunidades periféricas, na perspectiva de consolidar os grupos enredados nas suas respectivas comunidades. Isso fez com que os grupos se fortalecessem. Com cinco anos de atuação, fora o período de diálogo e articulação, a Rede passa a ser maior que seu próprio nome e as atividades passam a ser apropriadas e requisitadas por grupos que não fazem (ou não faziam) parte da Rede, na tentativa de buscar uma interação maior com a própria comunidade, utilizando a linguagem do Hip Hop como instrumento possibilitador dessa aproximação. Além disso, a Rede deixa de ser exclusivamente de grafiteiros(as), passando a se integrarem médicos, profissionais de comunicação, pessoas de outros movimentos sociais, outros artistas etc. Para compreender esse universo, foi preciso compreender processo histórico ocidental na perspectiva de entender a invenção da juventude , sua participação na sociedade e no próprio processo de desenvolvimento , tanto na América Latina quanto no Brasil. Nessa tentativa de analisar os processos sociais de organizações de minorias étnicas, classes sociais desprivilegiadas foi necessário, quando possível, fazer suas relações com o processo de escravidão, principalmente no que diz respeito ao século XVIII e XIX. Isso porque, o Hip Hop tem suas raízes na década de 40 do século XX, na Jamaica, influenciado pelos sound sistems que eram equipes de som com vários componentes, entre eles os DJ's e os toasters (antepassados diretos dos Mestres de Cerimônia - MC's). Esse consistiu um período marcado pela reestruturação e reprodução das relações coloniais e de exploração. É nesse emaranhado de relações opressivas que surge o Hip Hop, na década de 1970, nos EUA, influenciado e organizado por imigrantes jamaicanos naquele país, expandindo-se para o mundo, tomando diversas formas e sentidos

This ethnographic study describes the digital media ecologies of hip-hop artists in the marginalised township spaces of a town in South Africa. It shows how technology appropriation here is highly contextual and linked to social context, while simultaneously informed by limited digital infrastructure that characterises marginalised communities in the Global South. In describing their social context, the study situates these young people in a post-apartheid space of entrenched racialised inequality, where unemployed black youth have very few economic prospects. Here hip-hop offers protection against despair as it allows a young person to claim a dignified sense of self, which is partly constituted through digital media competency. Through the Black Consciousness philosophy, hip-hop artists in Grahamstown become highly critical of self-defeating narratives rooted in racism, colonialism and apartheid, which often manifest in violent forms of urban masculinity. Instead they find ways to "remix" their identities by incorporating alternative notions of a successful self. These new identities foreground agency and competency, and are informed both by knowledge of African tradition and language, and newly acquired competency in entrepreneurship, artistic genres and digital skills. The study argues that acquisition of digital skills in this space is best conceptualised through the community of practice approach, where skills development is social and linked to a sense of belonging and progress. Just as the hip-hop artists claim agency in remixing their notion of self, they also claim agency in remixing the limited digital technology available to them into various assemblages, so crafting innovative solutions to the constraints of limited and expensive digital infrastructure. Here, through a hip-hop culture that champions overcoming adversity, dysfunctional digital technology is constantly repaired and remixed. Hitherto, research on digital media use in the Global South has predominantly focused on the mobile phone in isolation. This study instead argues for the merits of a holistic digital ethnography, since observations of how these young people combine technologies such as mobile phones, computers and DVD players in everyday life, illustrate how innovation in marginalised spaces may be focused around the remixing of technology.

No description available.