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ENTITY · ARCHIVE

UWI Reggae Studies Unit

Probable

University of the West Indies research/teaching node for reggae studies and Jamaican popular music scholarship.

At a glance

Type
archive
Confidence
Probable
Evidence, memory & meta layers

Connections

Debate & reception

How people argued about the music — praise, criticism and public debate. See all debate & reception →

debate

Should the academy study dancehall?

A neutral account of the debate sparked by dancehall scholarship: academic study is defended as overdue validation of a maligned folk expression, and criticised by some as 'elevating vulgarity'. The atlas records the disagreement without endorsing either view. Sources: Carolyn Cooper, Noises in the Blood; Small Axe / sx salon; Jamaica Gleaner/Observer commentary.

Stance: scholarship validating a maligned folk expression vs 'elevating vulgarity' critique