by

Sandy Larose

Description
About the Author
Table of Contents

“Sandy Larose’s book represents a major contribution to the international diffusion of Rara. By making this tradition accessible to an English-speaking audience, it not only expands the understanding of Haitian culture but also strengthens the recognition of its patrimonial wealth on a global scale. Often marginalised or misunderstood, Rara finds here a platform where its beauty and complexity can be fully appreciated.”

Dr Joseph Ronald Dautruche

Sandy Larose holds a PhD in Sociology from the University of Laval in Québec, Canada. Professor of Social Sciences, he explores music, identity, and social resistance through extensive ethnographic fieldwork.

His monographs include L’invention du sujet moderne à travers la mode (with Francky Saint Fleur, Éditions l’Harmattan, 2024), Femme, identité et chrétienté aux temps modernes (with Ginette Francilus Sanon, Éditions l’Harmattan, 2022), Rap, Université et identité (with Ludia Exantus, Éditions l’Harmattan, 2021), Le troisième âge en Haïti, Entre mythe et réalité sociale (with Dermite Saint Juste, Éditions Universitaires Européennes, 2016) and Phénomène du hip hop : Introduction à une rapologie haïtienne (Éditions Universitaires Européennes, Berlin, 2015), among others.

Known for blending rigorous analysis with vivid storytelling, Larose brings to life how musical practices reflect, as well as actively shape collective identities. Rara: Music, Identity and Culture offers a concise, integrative account of this Haitian tradition as a vehicle for cultural autonomy and political critique.

FOREWORD
PREFACE
INTRODUCTION

1.
GLOBALISATION CULTURE AND IDENTITY
Global Culture as a Big Machine
The Notion of Global Culture
Global Culture, Local Cultures, and the Individual
Music and Identity in Haiti

2.
SOCIAL HISTORY OF MUSIC IN HAITI
Understanding Haitian Music Through History
Music in Haiti During the Amerindian Period
Music in the Haitian Revolution
Popular Music in Resistance and Emancipatory Movements in Haiti

3.
RARA:
MUSIC, CULTURE, AND RESISTANCE
Rara: Concept, Origin, and Discursive Framework
What’s the Meaning of Rara?

4.
ETHNOGRAPHY OF RARA PHENOMENON
Rara and the Haitian Culture
The Concept of Commitment
From Rara to Gagá: Afro-Culture in Dominican Republic
Haitian Rara and Popular Denunciations
Music and Civic Responsibility

5.
RARA TRADITION CONFRONTING NEW SOCIETAL CHALLENGES
Impact of Armed Gangs on Rara Culture in Haiti
Insecurity and Its Impact on Rara Culture and National Identity
The Deterioration of Security and Its Impact on Culture, Education, and National Identity
The Disconnection Between Elites and the People in Haiti
A Sociohistorical and Identity-Based Perspective

CONCLUSION
REFERENCES
CONTENTS

Details

Paperback: 110 pages
Size: 12.7 x 20.32 cm
(5 x 8 in)
Published: September 2025
ISBN: 978-1-9192563-0-6

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