Acknowledgments  ix
Introduction. "Jamaica Crawled Into My Soul": Black Women, Affect, and the Promise of Diaspora  1
Interlude  27
1. More Than a Groove: Pursuing Happiness as a Political Project  31
Interlude  63
2. "Giving Back" to Jamaica: Experiencing Community and Conflict While Traveling with Diasporic Heart  65
Interlude  95
3. Why Jamaica? Seeking the Fantasy of a Black Paradise  99
Interlude  121
4. Breaking (It) Down: Gender, Emotional Entanglements, and the Realities of Romance Tourism  123
Interlude  159
5. Navigating (Virtual) Jamaica: Online Diasporic Contact Zones  163
Interlude  185
Epilogue. Lessons Learned  187
Notes  197
Bibliography  209
Index  221

"Breathtaking. . . . Simply reading this book felt like an act of self-care for me—a breath of fresh air." — Erica Lorraine Williams, Anthrodendum

"Breathtaking. . . . Simply reading this book felt like an act of self-care for me—a breath of fresh air." —Erica Lorraine Williams, Anthrodendum

"This is the book that I have been anxiously waiting for. The Pursuit of Happiness is about how electronic media enables a group of middle-class black American women to find peace, love, and friendship outside their geographical space. This novel and innovative ethnography pushes the boundaries of what anthropology can be considered in its broadest definition." — A. Lynn Bolles, author of, Sister Jamaica: A Study of Women, Work, and Households in Kingston

“The Pursuit of Happiness is an engaging book that makes an important contribution to scholarship on tourism in the Caribbean. Bianca C. Williams's vivid language and keen analysis of her respondents are particularly enjoyable, and her interview data—which was obviously collected with care—make for a very rich and interesting read.” — Jafari Allen, author of, iVenceremos? The Erotics of Black Self-making in Cuba

Permission to Photocopy (coursepacks)

If you are requesting permission to photocopy material for classroom use, please contact the Copyright Clearance Center at copyright.com;

If the Copyright Clearance Center cannot grant permission, you may request permission from our Copyrights & Permissions Manager (use Contact Information listed below).

Permission to Reprint

If you are requesting permission to reprint DUP material (journal or book selection) in another book or in any other format, contact our Copyrights & Permissions Manager (use Contact Information listed below).

Images/Art

Many images/art used in material copyrighted by Duke University Press are controlled, not by the Press, but by the owner of the image. Please check the credit line adjacent to the illustration, as well as the front and back matter of the book for a list of credits. You must obtain permission directly from the owner of the image. Occasionally, Duke University Press controls the rights to maps or other drawings. Please direct permission requests for these images to permissions@dukeupress.edu.
For book covers to accompany reviews, please contact the publicity department.

Subsidiary Rights/Foreign Translations

If you're interested in a Duke University Press book for subsidiary rights/translations, please contact permissions@dukeupress.edu. Include the book title/author, rights sought, and estimated print run.

Disability Requests

Instructions for requesting an electronic text on behalf of a student with disabilities are available here.

Rights & Permissions Contact Information

Email: permissions@dukeupress.edu

Email contact for coursepacks: asstpermissions@dukeupress.edu

Fax: 919-688-4574

Mail:
Duke University Press
Rights and Permissions
905 W. Main Street
Suite 18B
Durham, NC 27701

For all requests please include:

1. Author's name. If book has an editor that is different from the article author, include editor's name also.

2. Title of the journal article or book chapter and title of journal or title of book

3. Page numbers (if excerpting, provide specifics)

For coursepacks, please also note: The number of copies requested, the school and professor requesting

For reprints and subsidiary rights, please also note: Your volume title, publication date, publisher, print run, page count, rights sought