In the hills of Tibet, far from the Caribbean Sea and shores of Jamaica, one can hear Bob Marley songs sung by young Buddhists walking the region. Bootleg copies of Peter Tosh albums can be found in small villages on the coast of Chile. When reggae music emerged in the 1960s, emanating from the small island of Jamaica, no-one could have anticipated that its culture would dominatingly infect all corners of the world and all aspects of society. Whether it is dreadlocks, Rastafari, ganja, steel drums or discussions on slavery and race, many topics seem to connect in some way to reggae music. Thus, it is no wonder that scholars across the world have begun to seriously address the impact of reggae music on our global culture.
Anthropologist Marvin D. Sterling has penned a book that traces the history of Japanese culture's appreciation of reggae, from ska to dancehall to dub to roots, and all things Rasta. Sterling's book is an exploration of the politics of reggae and Rastafari through the consciousness of Japanese culture. However, this is not simply a formulaic story about how reggae has influenced Japan. Sterling is not randomly inserting facts about Japan and connecting them to reggae culture. Rather, this book details the cultural differences in Japan compared with some countries traditionally associated with the African diaspora.
The tone of the book is set by the early chapters which explain Japan's rich history and its connection with politics. Political life in Japan, Sterling notes, is about painting the political landscape. This landscape is traditional in the sense that it is the government versus the people, but Sterling wants to point out further that the political structure is more clearly seen by most reggae enthusiasts in Japan as the oppressor versus the oppressed. The complex interactions among non-Western societies meets the politricks of reggae and Rasta.
The political statement made by the Japanese youth, one in which the youth are consistently searching for attention from the oppressor, is seen throughout Japanese society. The Rasta tam – fake dreadlocks attached – while somewhat a fashion statement, offers only a cursory statement of reggae's influence. The impact on Japan's culture is clearer when the Rasta-inspired critiques of Japanese social politics are publically presented. The book details this presentation and, unlike some scholarship on Rasta, Sterling explains the effectiveness of the roots-based critiques.
Once the book has introduced Japanese politics to the reader, it seamlessly continues the conversation and moves into more details about Japanese subculture and reggae. Unless you are a scholar of Japan and/or a member of the Japanese subculture, this discussion will provide dense insight into why Japan has so embraced reggae and Rasta. Many lovers of reggae find Marley and Tosh on the top of the playlist, whether it be in pubs, clubs or at parties. But Sterling notes that Japan has surprised many people by cultivating energetic and creative musical artists that sing of the Japanese experience in the same tone as roots reggae. For example, Munehiro describes ‘roots and culture’ – the Rasta term – to celebrate Afro-Jamaicans as well as Japanese. The Westernised ‘baldheads’ that Rasta categorised, made famous by Marley in the 1970s, are a source of commonality for the Japanese reggae artist and fan.
The last chapters of the book invoke Jimmy Cliff's ‘The Harder They Come’ for the reader. Describing rudies and rude boys in the Third World, Sterling once again provides a vivid explanation of why this subset of Japanese culture has authentically identified with Rastafari. The musicians have spawned writers and the writers have empowered the youth to develop a Japanese subculture intent on growing the discourse about the politics of Japan. No subject off limits, no issue too taboo, Japanese reggae (and those connected to it) provide the youth with an understanding of the recession on Japanese society, the desire for Japanese self-actualisation, and the benefits of smoking ganja. Followers of Rasta note that Babylon is everywhere and somehow made its way from Jamaica and New York to Tokyo.
Overall, the book presents reggae and Rasta in Japan as a unifying force among the youth and a perplexing subculture for those in power. For Japan, the themes of race and politics have not always been honestly and openly addressed but the book suggests that reggae seems to have helped reconstitute Japan's understanding of the past. The book is truly an interdisciplinary work worthy of serious attention for anyone studying music, race, anthropology and politics. The book clearly illustrates the globalisation of Jamaican culture and Rasta's worldwide inspiration. It is a book for the scholar, the ethnomusicologist and the fan. It details reggae's legacy from Jamaica to Japan but never reads like a history or geography textbook. Babylon East is a book ideally suited for those interested in the connections between reggae and Japan and a necessity for those interested in a stimulating conversation about politics, culture and Rasta.
