Hope-Marquis tackles the dancehall man

Curtis Campbell, Gleaner Writer

Dr Donna Hope-Marquis, popular dancehall author and lecturer, is releasing yet another book featuring the realities of dancehall culture.

This time, Dr Hope-Marquis dips into the touchy topic of sexuality in the dancehall. The title of the book, Man Vibes: Masculinities in Jamaican Dancehall.

This is Dr Hope-Marquis' second book, her first was a 2006 release called Inna Di Dancehall: Popular Culture and Politics of Identity in Jamaica.

That effort was awarded Best Selling General Interest Book in 2008.

Dr Hope-Marquis told The Gleaner that books concerned with dancehall and reggae were not common in the literary industry, and those that were available were normally written outside of the region.

"People want to learn about our history and culture," she said.

She said that even when she was reading for her PhD, there was limited access to the necessary information. That experience, Dr Hope-Marquis explained, has spurred her to write books to bridge the information gap.

In Man Vibes, Dr Hope-Marquis discusses how masculinity is perceived in the dancehall culture, and how dancehall music helps to exaggerate the idea of being male.

"Dancehall has this ability to inflate actualities and make them more visible," said Dr Hope-Marquis.

Insight into gender structures

Dr Hope-Marquis opined that the book is very informative and credible. She said a lot of work was put into the composition and was confident that it would have a positive impact on its audience.

She also remarked that readers should purchase the book because it provided insight into gender structures in Jamaican society, and the perception dancehall had of the ideal man.

Man Vibes is published by Ian Randle publisher and can be bought at Amazon.com, ianrandlepublishers.com and University of the West Indies bookshops.