Thesis (M.A. in sociology)--Washington State University, August 2010. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on July 29, 2010). "Department of Sociology." Includes bibliographical references (p. 78-80).

Thesis (M.A.)--Eastern Illinois University, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 37-42).

In social science, reality is too frequently conceived of from the point of view of European or American white men. I intend to examine the perceived realities and world-view of a marginalized oppressed group, the Rastafarians. The contemporary social movement literature focuses heavily on framing processes, how movement members portray their grievances to potential sympathizers. Reggae music is the most popular vehicle for the Rastafarians to disperse their world-view. This study explores how reggae music serves certain social movement functions for the Rastafarian movement. I seek to show that reggae music is indeed political and draws heavily from Rastafarian ideology. I will perform a content analysis of the lyrics of reggae music and identify the diagnostic, prognostic, and motivational framing used by the reggae artists. / Master of Science

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2008. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 135-143).

Reggae is a popular musical form that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960's and soon came to be closely associated with the oppositional, Afrocentric Rastafarian movement. During the 1970's it achieved global popularity and is now produced in many locations around the world. In Montreal, reggae is produced by and for a cosmopolitan community; however, certain conceptions of the distinctiveness of this music as an effective intervention in social processes, derived from Rastafarian philosophy, are maintained by its performers. This thesis examines reggae song lyrics and elements of discourse about reggae music in relation to Rastafarian cultural practices, showing how the aesthetic conventions of the form involve a certain ritualization of musical activity that allows for the interpretation of aesthetic experience in terms of solidarity, resistance and historical progress.

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後殖民主義一般是指在第二次世界大戰後所產生的殖民主義研究，在前被殖民國家紛紛獨立的背景下，後殖民主義作為一種獨特的文化批評理論，崛起於全球化時代的人文學科領域。在諸多後殖民文化類型之中，雷鬼音樂源自加勒比海地區，被定位為世界音樂的一支，其發展的歷史及地理因素，與前被殖民國及宗主國之間的文化現象交互影響。本研究以歐洲雷鬼樂發展最為盛行的英法兩國為例，用後殖民主義闡述前英屬與法屬國家中特有的雷鬼文化現象，試圖探究該文化背後的關注議題並據此歸納結論。

This thesis is an ethnography of Rastafari childhood in the former Cape Province, South Africa, through the eyes of both parents and children. If children are a ‘muted group’, then what are the identity formation implications for “double-muted” groups, the children of ethnic minorities whose voices are not heard? Rasta parents’ experience of the struggle, ie. the opposition to apartheid, has shaped the Rastafari chant of ‘equal rights’ and ‘justice’ into a distinctly South African form of protest and resistance. Their childhood experiences have resulted in a desire to provide a better life for their children, using Rastafari as a vehicle. This is expressed in a continuation of the struggle that was started during apartheid, in the Rasta ideology children grow up learning. The Rasta child has become a contested body in this struggle. The South African Government, through policy, has a mandate to protect the child, and legislature exists to do so in accordance with international law. However, as child-raising differs phenomenally from culture to culture, these goals on the part of the State start infringing upon the rights and freedoms of minorities to raise their children according to their own cultural goals. This study examines the tension between Rastafari and government with regards to child raising, specifically looking at the following main points of contestation: public health, public schools and policy/legislation; in order to examine how Rasta children negotiate their identity in the face of these conflicting messages and struggles. Their identity can be influenced by three main groups, the Rasta family they grow up in; school; and multi-media. What these children choose to accept or reject in their worldview is moderated by their own agency. This study shows that this tension results in a new generation of Rastafari children, who are strongly grounded in an identity as Rastafari and take pride in this identity. It also illustrates how Rastafari are impacting on and changing government policy through resistance. Their successes in challenging the state on the grounds of multiculturalism and religious freedom, has helped in the attainment of a sense of dignity.