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A Study Of Rastafarian Culture In Columbus,Ohio: Notes From An African American Woman's Journey

Chevers, Ivy E.

Abstract Details

2008, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Art Education.

This study is an investigation of RastafarI culture primarily in Columbus, Ohio. It is a personal journey of places I have traveled and observed RastafarI culture including Jamaica, Ghana, and Brazil. This study speaks to the impact of RastafarI in those locations and questions how the appropriation and commodification of RastafarI culture affects the movements'authenticity. This research uses a reflexive autoethnographic approach to write the stories of the twelve people who were interviewed in the study.

The first chapter, in this study, describes the events in my life that lead to the development of this research. It explains the purpose and significance of the study, as well as, defines the research questions. The first chapter also discusses the qualitative experimental writing techniques I chose to use in the research.

Chapter two historicizes the African Diaspora making connections between Jamaican, Ethiopian, and Columbus's histories. It gives a brief overview of RastafarI history and culture in Jamaica and addresses the events and people who shaped Black Nationalistic thought regarding Ethiopianism in the United States. The chapter concludes by discussing RastafarI as part of the diverse artistic, musical, and cultural landscape of Columbus.

The third chapter conceptualizes RastafarI through the theoretical lenses of critical theory and social movement theory. It presents the challenges inherent in prescribing theoretical constructs to a movement that has been defined and interpreted differently by scholars as well as by those who prescribe to the movements' philosophy.

The qualitative ethnographic methodology employed in this study is discussed in chapter four. The location of the research is established, the method of data collection analysis, and limitations of the study are discussed. The participant's narratives are presented in this chapter.

In the fifth chapter, I conclude the study by establishing pedagogical implications, revisiting my research questions, and raising questions for further research.

Terry Barrett, PhD (Advisor)
Vesta Daniel, PhD (Committee Member)
Maurice Stevens, PhD (Committee Member)
Patricia Stuhr, PhD (Committee Member)
155 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Chevers, I. E. (2008). A Study Of Rastafarian Culture In Columbus,Ohio: Notes From An African American Woman's Journey [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1221592719

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Chevers, Ivy. A Study Of Rastafarian Culture In Columbus,Ohio: Notes From An African American Woman's Journey. 2008. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1221592719.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Chevers, Ivy. "A Study Of Rastafarian Culture In Columbus,Ohio: Notes From An African American Woman's Journey." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2008. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1221592719

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)