Reggae Rhythms in Dignity's Diaspora: Globalization, Indigenous Identity, and the Circulation of Cultural Struggle

Abstract

In this article the author surveys the production and consumption of reggae music among diverse indigenous groups, including Native Americans, Maoris, Aborigines, and Pacific Islanders. Drawing from oral interviews, music and lyrics, artist and record label websites, and recent accounts of cultural and political activism, he argues that the cultural connections between different indigenous reggae artists and their fans constitute a Diaspora, one based not on any single race, ethnic, or place‐based identity, but on their shared struggles for dignity in the face of the dehumanizing effects of globalization. He ultimately demonstrates how reggae reveals the political, economic, and social possibilities and contradictions of indigenous identity.