Résumé : Ce travail analyse le dancehall, dernière forme en date de la musique jamaïcaine, à travers les questions de violence et de sexualité. Cette musique rencontre des difficultés sur le plan local et international non seulement à cause des thématiques abordées mais aussi par la manière dont elles sont traitées. Ainsi, le traitement de la violence à travers le gun talk, ces textes faisant l’apologie des armes à feu, entraîne des critiques, on leur reproche d’être des incitations à la violence physique, psychologique, au désordre social et on juge leur influence négative. Par ailleurs, l’approche très explicite et très crue de la sexualité entraîne également des critiques du fait de la teneur misogyne et homophobe de certaines chansons.Par conséquent, cette étude du dancehall explique les raisons pour lesquelles le contexte particulier de la Jamaïque a conduit à ce genre de propos. Puis, elle démontre que les textes incriminés pour homophobie ou misogynie renferment une codification de la sexualité qui va au-delà de l’orientation sexuelle et de l’opposition hétérosexualité/homosexualité, pour ériger un modèle valorisant et valorisé en termes de pratiques sexuelles (le coït pénis/vagin). Pour répondre à ces questions, cette analyse s’appuie sur une série d’outils offrant une vision cohérente de cette musique : les travaux précédents sur le dancehall, les traductions d’un large éventail de chansons, l’utilisation de l’Internet qui permet de suivre les derniers déroulements de ce phénomène culturel en constante évolution et enfin les entretiens et les enquêtes menés sur le terrain.
Completely different to play a part in the social unrest that this country is facing. The second part of the thesis focuses on the issues of violence and sexuality in dancehall music. It shows how politics and religion have a strong influence on the population and offer some legitimacy to the lyrics which lead to the controversies surrounding dancehall music. On the one hand, religion is the cornerstone of this society (although Jamaicans have integrated some principles and do not pay much attention to others) and determines what should be endorsed or rejected. On the other hand, the politicians apply some sort of physical and psychological violence to maintain their leading position. In addition, these politicians rely on the contempt for homosexuality to create cohesion within a society that is deeply characterized by divisions and tensions of all kinds. In the Jamaican context that is deeply influenced by patriarchal values, the individuals of the lower social strata (especially males) who experience difficulties to obtain a valorizing social status can turn to violence and criminal activities, and will hang to heterosexuality and “moral” sexual practices as vehicles to restored self-esteem (this vision of sexuality is one of the only valorizing aspects of masculinity that any individual can rely on regardless of their social status). Consequently, these sexual archetypes are expressed through the lyrics of dancehall music and are promoted by the artists of dancehall, self-proclaimed spokesperson for the Jamaican population. The third part addresses the issue of the perception of dancehall music on the international level through the issue of sexuality and homosexuality. This part shows that even though the language used by the artists can be hardly understood, some lyrics leave the listeners with different way of interpreting the message, especially when it comes to threatening some people physically or psychologically on the ground of sexual orientations and practices. These songs which express strong criticism towards some individuals have triggered vehement reactions from sexual minority groups. Different campaigns on the international level have forced the artists to tone down their lyrics. These campaigns show how the music is also utilized by these gay groups to fight against discrimination. Because of or thanks to the media attention that Jamaican music enjoys, the homosexuals are able to expose to the public opinion the physical and psychological violence they are experiencing in Jamaica. In addition, the close geographic, cultural and economic relationship between Jamaica and the USA shows, on the one hand, how homosexuality is perceived on the island as an imposed foreign value and on the other hand, how this Caribbean country is labeled as a homophobic nation. And finally, the influence of Jamaica on the international level allows us to analyze dancehall music in the French Caribbean islands. This chapter shows how these local artists can use the Jamaican codes and adapt them to their own reality when they correspond with the values of their own society.

http://www.theses.fr/2013AGUY0728/document