Political Economy through the eyes of Bob Marley’s music

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James Raymond VreelandSpring 2015

Music Plan

1. Intro: I Shot the Sheriff

2. Buffalo Soldier

3. Redemption Song

4. Zimbabwe

5. One Love

6. War

7. No Woman, No Cry (Fugees)

8. Killing me softly (Fugees)

9. No, Woman, No Cry2

Reconciliation• We are Georgetown!

• Blue & Gray

• http://www.georgetown.edu/about/history/index.html

• A total of 1,141 students and alumni enlisted in the civil war, serving in both the Union and Confederate forces.

• Georgetown students selected the colors blue (Union) and gray (Confederate) as the school’s official colors in 1876.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_military_casualties_of_war

Georgetown President at that time:

• Patrick Francis Healy

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“Buffalo Soldiers”http://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/upload/sb-buffalo-2008.pdf

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In 1866, Congress established six all-Black regiments, each of about 1000 soldiers, to help rebuild the country after the Civil War and to patrol the remote western frontier.

According to legend, Native Americans called the Black cavalry troops “buffalo soldiers” because of their dark curly hair, which resembled a buffalo’s coat. Aware of the buffalo’s fierce bravery and fighting spirit, the African American troops accepted the name with pride and honor.

Redemption Song

• Old pirates, yes, they rob I;• Sold I to the merchant ships,• Minutes after they took I• From the bottomless pit.

• We forward in this generation• Triumphantly.

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http://scholar.harvard.edu/files/msen/files/slavery.pdf

We forward in this generation…

Triumphantly?

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Containing NationalismMichael Hechter

• Independence movements

• Power of exploitation moves from:

– Metropole (colonial power)

– To local elites

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Zimbabwe

• Formerly Rhodesia

• 1965-1979: White minority declares independence to prevent rule by majority of native Africans

• Zimbabwe April 1980

• Tear gas used during Marley concert

• President: Robert Mugabe 1980-…present!

• GDP/capita: $487 (nominal $741)– http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(PPP)_per_capita

– http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(nominal)_per_capita

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One Love Peace Concert (April 22, 1978) The National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica

• Local Elites in JA: – Michael Manley PNP– Edward Seaga JLP

• 1976: – Violence in elections– Bob Marley Assassination attempt

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One Love

• “Let’s get together to fight this Armageddon so when the man comes there will be no doom”

• Practical lesson: Cooperation– “Armageddons”

• Great Depression & WWII – IMF, World Bank, GAT/WTO, United Nations, European

Union

• East Asian Financial Crisis – Chiang Mai Initiative

• Global Financial Crisis? 13

United Nations Speech

• “War” (released 1976)

• Haile Selassie

– United Nations Speech (1963)

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One Love

• International vs. Global

• Globalization new?

• “One love” – separation is illusion – “maya”

• How does this Hindu belief make it into Rastafarianism?

• After slavery abolished in the Caribbean, indentured servitude introduced

• Where did the labor come from?

• South Asia

• More research needed: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rastafari_movement#Spiritual_use_of_cannabis

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No, students, don’t cry

• Everything’s gonna be alright!

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No, Woman, No Cry

• [Organ recalls church music]

• [Breaking bread]

• “And we would cook corn meal porridge – of which I’ll share with you

• “My feet is my only carriage

• “So I’ve got to push on through

• “But while I’m gone, I mean

• “Everything is gonna be alright 17

Multivocality• A phrase with multiple-messages

• Meaning depends on the receiver

• In advertizing: – Coke is it!– Pepsi’s the one

• In campaigns: – Hope, change– Family values*– *Dan Quayle & Murphy Brown story

• In music:– Killing me softly (Roberta Flack, Fugees) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KpeCk6NyZU

• Fugees: – “No Woman, No Cry” cover: http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/fugees-no-woman-no-cry-wm 18

No, Hoyas, No Cry

• Said I remember when we used to sit

• In the government class at Georgetown

• Observing the data points

• As we would test the good hypotheses we make

• Good friends we have, oh, good friends we lost

• Along the way…

• In this bright future, you can’t forget your past

• So dry your tears, I say

• No, Hoyas, don’t cry…

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No, Woman, No Cry

• In this bright future, you can forget your past

• And we would share corn meal porridge of which I’ll share with you

• My feet is my only carriage

• Everything is gonna be alright

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Thank youWE ARE GLOBAL GEORGETOWN!

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