Keynote Lecture Recording: ‘Pirates on the Beach: Capitalist Appropriation of Jamaica’s Coastline’ by Carolyn Cooper (50th Annual CSA Conference)

In this recorded keynote lecture, delivered at the 𝟱𝟬𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗯𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 (𝗖𝗦𝗔) in Kingston, Jamaica, on 𝗧𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟰, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲, Professor Emerita 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗼𝗹𝘆𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿 proposes to “conceive 𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘆 𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗹𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 in the Americas and its pernicious legacies today.” At the same time, she recognises “the 𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘆 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 as manifested in all those underground radio stations in the UK that engaged in wars of liberation.” She asserts that she, “in the spirit of Louise Bennett’s 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲, (…) celebrate[s] those so-called pirate radio stations that ensured the invasive presence of Caribbean music on the airwaves of British respectability.”

𝗗𝗿. 𝗖𝗼𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿 also invited Kingston-based Dutch filmmaking duo 𝗘𝗺𝗶𝗲𝗹 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘀 and 𝗘𝗹𝘀𝗶𝗲 𝗩𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗲𝗿 to discuss their much-talked-about documentary 𝗕𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗮 𝗕𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗴𝗲: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗝𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗰𝗮’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲, made in collaboration with 𝗝𝗮𝗕𝗕𝗘𝗠 and 𝗞𝗲𝘇𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗱𝗶. This discussion, which took place midway through the lecture, is also included in the recording.

The 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗸𝗲𝘆𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 (except the first 30 seconds) can be found below. A 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 of the lecture was also published as a 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲-𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗻 in 𝗞𝗶𝘀𝗸𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗲 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵, and is available here.

𝗗𝗿. 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗼𝗹𝘆𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿 is Professor Emerita of Literary and Cultural Studies at the University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica. In the 1980s, she was an active member of the Women’s Studies Working Group at Mona. In the 1990s, she wrote a bilingual English/Jamaican column for the Jamaica Observer. From 2009-2024, she wrote a column for the Jamaica Sunday Gleaner.