Sonic diaspora, vibrations and rhythm: thinking through the sounding of the Jamaican dancehall session

The propagation of vibrations may provide a better way of understanding diasporic spread than the conventional focus on the circulation of products (Hall 1980, Appadurai 1986, 1996, Gilroy 1993a, Brah 1996). Jamaican sound systems operate as a broadcast medium and a source of CDs, DVDs and other commercial products (Henriques 2007a). But the dancehall sound system session also propagates a broad spectrum of frequencies diffused through a range of media and activities - described as “sounding” (following Small’s 1998 concept of “musicking”). These include the material vibrations of the signature low-pitched auditory frequencies of Reggae as a bass culture (Johnson 1980), at the loudness of “sonic dominance” (Henriques 2003). Secondly a session propagates the corporeal vibrations of rituals, dance routines and bass-line “riddims” (Veal 2007). Thirdly it propagates the ethereal vibrations (Henriques 2007b), “vibes” or atmosphere of the sexually charged popular subculture by which the crowd (audience) appreciate each dancehall session as part of the Dancehall scene (Cooper 2004). The paper concludes that thinking though vibrating frequencies makes it easier to appreciate how audiences with no direct or inherited connection with a particular music genre can be energetically infected and affected - to form a sonic diaspora

New Middle-Class Labor Migrants

Migration researchers have tended to focus on social extremes: either highly skilled elites, on the one hand, or low-wage workers on the other. Less attention has been directed toward “ordinary” middle-class professional movers, and there have been no reviews of this literature to date. The chapter addresses this gap and identifies five important themes to guide future class-orientated migration research. First, the complex relationship between migration, social mobility, place, and middle-class membership is examined. Second, age is shown to be an important consideration in middle-class migration decision-making. Third, the cultural versus economic basis of the mobile middle-class is explored, and the role of lifestyle factors in shaping migration is critically examined. Fourth, middle-class migration decisions are connected to gendered household strategies, with the preponderance of dual-career couples now taking migration decision-making well beyond the individual career path. Finally, the social and communal emplacement of middle-class migrants is considered as an important but neglected dimension of research. Overall, it is clear that the class-based analysis of migration is an important yet neglected field of study, and this is especially true for middle-class movers

Collective transnational power and its limits: London-based Nigerian organisations, development at ‘home’ and the importance of local agency and the ‘internal diaspora’

In the recent wave of enthusiasm about the development role of migration, international diaspora organisations have been posited as powerful actors in the progress of their communities of origin. Drawing on research on Nigerian diaspora organisations in London and their places of intervention in Nigeria, this article seeks to subject such claims to greater empirical scrutiny. To understand the relative importance of these organisations in the development of their ‘home’ communities, their collective transnational interventions are set in the context of contributions made by local actors and internal migrants within Nigeria. It is found that the international diaspora organisations engaged in this study make a limited, almost marginal contribution to local development at ‘home’ and that local actors and internal migrants are much more important drivers of community progress. It is therefore argued that ‘home’-based actors and internal migrants should be given greater recognition in the conceptualisation of how and to what extent migration contributes to local development. To this end, a translocal perspective is advanced that incorporates local, internal and international actors in more effectively comprehending the development role of migration in all its forms