Rough Riding Symposium
Rough Riding Symposium
Tanya Stephens & The Power of Music to Transform Society
The University of the West Indies
June 14, 2017
Tanya Stephens is one of the most critical thinking cultural workers and organic intellectuals produced by the Reggae and Dancehall genres. Arguably one of the best lyricists in the history of genres dominated by male counterparts, Stephens has maintained her relevance in the music industry for over two decades and has used it as a platform for social commentary and political education. She is quoted as saying that “[m]usic has the power to shape society [therefore] it is not the sole responsibility of musicians to raise our children or to shape our society, but music does have the power to do this and as a result it is important that we w[ield] it responsibly.” It is for the preceding reason that Stephens tackles issues such as women’s oppression and liberation, homophobia and the human rights of the LGBTQI community, social inequality, the toxicity of hegemonic masculinity, international politics, critical reggae/dancehall erotica and women’s liberated sexuality.
Deadline for submission of abstract: April 8, 2017
Notification of acceptance: April 22, 2017
Deadline for final paper submission: June 7, 2017
For general inquiries or to contact a member of the organizing committee, please email at tanyastephenssymposium@gmail.com.
