David Aarons

David Aarons is an Assistant Professor of Ethnomusicology at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG), affiliated with the School of Music. He joined UNCG's faculty in 2018 and teaches courses such as American Music, Music of the Black Atlantic, and Music Cultures of the World. His research focuses on vernacular music in the Anglophone Caribbean, particularly Rastafari communities in Ethiopia who use reggae music to navigate cultural identity and challenges in their repatriation.

Education:

• PhD in Ethnomusicology, University of Washington (2017)
• Master of Music (Steelpan Performance), Northern Illinois University (2012)
• Bachelor of Music, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine (2008)

His research examines music's role in constructing cultural identity, with a focus on Rastafari repatriation to Ethiopia and reggae's sociocultural functions. Publications appear in Caribbean Quarterly and The Journal of Popular Music and Society.