The purpose of this study is to examine the nature of national identity in a postcolonial, multicultural nation. Trinidad and Tobago became independent from Britain in 1962 and given its multicultural population, ethnic, political and cultural harmony continue to be point of contention. In 1992, the steelpan was declared the national instrument of this West Indian nation, which won the approval of many but unearthed the dissatisfaction of others. Thus, using the case study of the steelpan in Trinidad and Tobago, this study focuses on the debate surrounding the appropriateness of the steelpan as the national instrument, in an attempt to examine the concerns of ethnic communities in a multicultural nation as they try to find a sense of identity on the national level. Through the examination of newspaper archives, government documents, personal interviews and participant observation, the findings indicate that national identity should be understood beyond the indigenous nature of a cultural practice, and the ethnic community with which it is associated, and instead, should focus on the cross-cultural appeal of the cultural practice as the primary indicator of whether it should be accorded "national" status. This study uses the Cultural Studies methodological and theoretical approach of the "circuit of culture" to unearth the webs of meaning that are formed as cultures negotiate the process of national and cultural identity. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Communication in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Fall Semester, 2006. / July 20, 2006. / Postcolonial, Nation, National Symbols, Equality, Trinidad And Tobago, Steelpan, Steelband, Nationalism, Cultural Identity, National Identity, Culture / Includes bibliographical references. / Steve McDowell, Professor Directing Dissertation; Phil Steinberg, Outside Committee Member; John Mayo, Committee Member; Danielle Wiese, Committee Member.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_180977 |
| Contributors | Nathaniel, Daina, 1974- (authoraut), McDowell, Steve (professor directing dissertation), Steinberg, Phil (outside committee member), Mayo, John (committee member), Wiese, Danielle (committee member), School of Communication (degree granting department), Florida State University (degree granting institution) |
| Publisher | Florida State University, Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, text |
| Format | 1 online resource, computer, application/pdf |
| Rights | This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). The copyright in theses and dissertations completed at Florida State University is held by the students who author them. |
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