Question: How might paying attention to sound/soundscapes help us think about all of the ways that capitalism destroys our relationships to each other, as well as about how people continue to form new relationships with each other? Think about this question by engaging Goffe’s concept of extra-coloniality.
In Goffe’s article, he has mentioned that sounds and music described the daily life of immigrants and natives alike. The lyrics in the song accompanied by the beat shows the mixture of cultural backgrounds affecting the area. However, when looking at the Chinese influence on Jamaican music, we can see the effects of capitalism on building relationships. The Chinese capital that was brought by merchants allowed the gathering of Chinese and native Jamaican people.
The gathering not only allowed the creation of relationships, but it also allowed a space for creation of music, which references the very importance of its cultural influences. As Goffe says in his article “[The] Chinese diasporic capital fostered unexpected extracolonial conduits of sociality and creativity for the Jamaican masses”
However, the capitalistic nature of the Chinese merchants also generated stereotypes of them being only about business, showing affection only for money. Without music as a bridge between cultures, native Jamaicans always regarded the Chinese as outsiders, exploiting the invention of the sound system for profit. Again reflected in the music, the idea of a “Mr. Chin” is a negative trope towards Chinese shop owners in Jamaica. With capitalism destroying the possibilities of cultural bonding and building, the role of a bridge that was fulfilled by music helped establish grounds for both communities.
