“I Was Born in the Perfect Place”: Community, Language and Identity in Caribbean Popular Music

Please join us for a colloquium event presented by the School of Early Childhood Studies, Scholarly Research and Creative Activity Committee. 

Presenters:

Dr. Nicha Selvon-Ramkissoon

Dr. Nicha Selvon-Ramkissoon is an Assistant Professor and General Administrator at the Centre for Education Programmes, University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT). She has published in the areas of Language Arts Curriculum Development, Second Dialect Pedagogy, Critical Discourse Studies, Postcolonial readings of literary texts, Indigenous methodologies, and Translanguaging pedagogy for migrant children. Her current research looks at the evolution of Soca music from 1974-2024 (50 years). Apart from exploring the themes and language of this genre of Caribbean popular music, she is also looking at the sociocultural impact of Soca, mainly in Trinidad and Tobago, but also in some other parts of the region and the diaspora.

Dr. Byron M. Jones Jr.

Dr. Byron M. Jones Jr. is a linguist and lecturer in the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine. With over 18 years of experience in linguistics, his areas of focus and specialization span theoretical linguistics, educational linguistics, corpus linguistics, creole studies, and sociolinguistics, with a particular focus on language, society, and culture in the Caribbean. With an academic journey beginning at the University of the West Indies, Mona, where he earned a Bachelor and Master of Arts in Linguistics, with a PhD in linguistics at the St Augustine campus thereafter, his research delves into Jamaican slang, language and music, and language use in Jamaican popular culture, contributing to a deeper understanding of how linguistic practices shape and reflect Caribbean identity.

As an educator, he is committed to student-centred mentorship, guiding mentees through critical thinking, problem-solving, and self-actualization. His teaching philosophy integrates interactive methodologies, problem-mapping in educational linguistics, and discourse analysis, ensuring that students engage deeply with linguistic theory and its real-world applications. His attempt is to have his work bridge the gap between academic research, teaching and learning, cultural examination, and public discourse, making Caribbean linguistics and popular culture accessible to a wider audience.

Dr. Kristin Snoddon

Dr. Kristin Snoddon is a deaf scholar and Associate Professor and Graduate Program Directorwith the School of Early Childhood Studies, Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada. Her research and professional experience include collaborative work with deaf communities indeveloping sign language and early literacy programming for young deaf children and their parents. Her longstanding program of research has focused on developing a parent American Sign Language curriculum that is aligned with the Common European Framework of Referencefor Languages. Additionally, she analyzes policy issues related to inclusive education, sign language rights, and acquisition planning for ASL. Her current research focuses on sign language ideologies and ideologies of understanding related to deaf interpreters in Canada andthe Caribbean. Her book Being Understood: Deaf Interpreters, Embodied Language, and Relationality will be published in 2025 by Multilingual Matters.

Accessibility

This event is accessible through ASL interpretation. Participants should indicate any other accessibility needs in the registration form.