Scammer's yard : the crime of Black repair in Jamaica /
Jovan Scott Lewis.
- 236 pages ; 22 cm
Includes bibliographical references (pages 213-226) and index.
Introduction: To be poor is a crime -- The plantation remains : a history of sufferation -- Free zones : manipulated development after structural adjustment -- Black markets : the color of crime -- Repairing Blackness : seizing reparations through the scam -- Conclusion: Black life beyond repair.
"Tells the story of Jamaican 'scammers' who use crime to gain autonomy, opportunity, and repair"-- "Jovan Scott Lewis tells the story of three young and poor men striving to make a living in Montego Bay, where call centers and tourism are the two main industries in the struggling economy. In the Jamaican lottery scam run by these men, targets are told they have qualified for a large loan or award if they pay taxes or transfer fees. When the fees are paid, the award never arrives, netting the scammers tens of thousands of U.S. dollars. Through interviews, historical sources, song lyrics, and court testimonies, Lewis examines how these scammers justify their deceit, discovering an ethical narrative that reformulates ideas of crime and transgression and their relationship to race, justice, and debt."--
9781517909987 1517909988
2000-2099
Swindlers and swindling--Jamaica. Poor--Social conditions.--Jamaica Black people--Social conditions.--Jamaica Crime--Sociological aspects. Pauvres--Conditions sociales.--Jamaïque Criminalité--Aspect sociologique. Black people--Social conditions. Crime--Sociological aspects. Economic history. Poor--Social conditions. Social conditions. Swindlers and swindling.