Copyright by Angela J. Aguayo 2005

Copyright by Angela J. Aguayo 2005 The Dissertation Committee for Angela Jean Aguayo Certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: Documentary Film/Video and Social Change: A Rhetorical Investigation of Dissent Committee: Dana L. Cloud, Supervisor Barry Brummett Richard Cherwitz Sharon E. Jarvis Ellen Spiro Paul Stekler Documentary Film/Video and Social Change: A Rhetorical Investigation of Dissent by Angela Jean Aguayo, B.A., M.A. Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Texas at Austin December, 2005 Dedication For my brother Larry, my only constant. Without you, this would not be possible. Acknowledgements It takes a village to raise a scholar. There are so many people who have invested in my work and growth over the past five years and I am enormously grateful. Collectively, they have been my teachers, friends, co-conspirators, confidants, my support system and family. Without you, this project and the work that will come from it, would not be possible. Thank you for investing in me and my ideas. Throughout this process, you have made me a better person. I would like to thank my dissertation committee for the amazing insight, time and advice that has contributed to the completion of this project. Dana Cloud, Barry Brummett, Rick Cherwitz, Sharon Jarvis, Ellen Spiro and Paul Stekler have all encourage me to think about this dissertation in all of its complexities. Specifically, I am grateful to Rick Cherwitz and Barry Brummett who have delightfully challenged me to become a better rhetorical theorist. Dana Cloud and Ellen Spiro have encouraged me to tackle this topic with passion and enthusiasm. Your brilliance and creativity have raised the bar for what I expect out of myself. Thank you for being such great role models and for teaching me how to be a great scholar and filmmaker. Dana, I hope I can be the kind of mentor you have been to me. You have made an indelible footprint on my life and I will always be so thankful for your love and support. I would also like to thank Ron Greene and Rosa v Eberly who are kind enough to reach out behind them, freely and lovingly, to give advice and encouragement. There is no way I can begin to thank all of those who made this process worthwhile, fun and intellectually stimulating. Nicole Sieber, Lisa Foster, Caroline Rankin, and Kristen Hoerl have been my family in Austin and beyond. You are my touchstones and some of the most amazing women I have ever met. You made getting a PhD in Austin from 2000-2005 a time in my life I will never forget. I would also like to thank all of my colleagues at the University of Texas who made me laugh and love learning including Jennifer Anenas, John Banas, Jay Childers, Jamie Doyle, Katie Feyh, Andy Glikman, Kevin Johnson, Tim Steffensmeier and Amy Young. Lastly, I would like to thank my partner and friend Dan Elgin for his love, support, activist savvy and brilliant editing skills. Finally, I would like to thank my Dad, my brother Larry and my childhood friend Alex Hivoltze-Jimenez. You have challenged me, in numerous ways, to be a good feminist by simultaneously embodying the tension of taking care of me and encouraging me to take care of myself. You helped me find my own way and I never questioned my ability to count on you. Thank you for your love and support. vi Documentary Film/Video and Social Change: A Rhetorical Investigation of Dissent Publication No._____________ Angela Jean Aguayo, Ph.D. The University of Texas at Austin, 2005 Supervisor: Dana L. Cloud For well over a century, non-fiction film has figured prominently in the public sphere as a powerful means of persuasion. This dissertation will explore the intersection of cultural texts and social change by investigating the history of contemporary activist documentary film. Using all the available means of persuasion and coercion at their disposal, social movements have collectively developed a diverse set of tactics and strategies to prompt social change, documentary films being one of the most understudied texts. Documentary films that reflect the interests of social movements are important but to what end and in what rhetorical situation are these strategies most effective for social change? This study will not call into question the importance of cultural texts like vii documentary film but rather how constitutive cultural strategies constrain or aid the instrumental goals of contemporary social movements. This project will explore the commitments of early activist media, theories of social change, the second wave of activist media and finally, the function of contemporary activist documentary. There is much left to be studied about the relationship of activist cultural texts and social change. The manner in which activist documentary film is conceptualized in theoretical literature or in film reviews, primarily qualifies the term “activist” with the intentions of the film maker and his or her ideological commitments outside of filmmaking. There is, however, another tendency to label documentary film as “activist” based on content. If the film mediates as political or moral controversy, the inclination is to label it “activist.” However, such labels are fruitless if the film does not actually intervene in a larger public space to create active political agents that will extend and execute the political work initiated by documentary film. For the purposes of this study, it is not enough for documentary film to “be” activist; it must help in creating the space for activism and invested in producing material and cultural change. This project will include a multi-method approach that includes interviews with filmmakers and public officials, analysis of the movie text, interviews and email surveys of members in activist community organizations and analysis of historical materials. viii Table of Contents Introduction .........................................................................................................1 Chapter One: Popular Culture and Social Change.................................................8 The Rhetoric of Activist Documentary ......................................................13 The Contemporary Documentary Impulse .................................................17 Democracy and the Corporate Media.........................................................19 Documentary and Democratic Practices.....................................................23 The Study of Media and Social Movements...............................................25 Social Movements and Cultural Texts...............................................26 The Media and Social Change...........................................................29 Chapter Preview........................................................................................34 Chapter Two: The Camera as a Tool of Social Upheaval....................................39 The First Wave of Activist Documentary...................................................41 The Second Wave of Activist Documentary ..............................................45 The Third Wave of Activist Filmmaking ...................................................60 Texts for Consideration .............................................................................69 Chapter Three: A Rhetorical Approach to Documentary Film/Video Studies......76 The Elements of Traditional Documentary Analysis..................................77 The Rhetoric of Documentary Film and Video ..........................................80 Rhetoric and Ideology of Documentary Film and Video....................81 A Troubled Conception of Agency....................................................83 A Troubled Conception of Hegemony...............................................85 Toward a Multi-Level Analysis of Documentary .......................................88 Understanding Democratic Publics and Documentary................................93 Habermas and Social Change............................................................94 Media Publics and Social Change..............................................................97 Publics and Community....................................................................99 ix Method....................................................................................................101 CHAPTER FOUR: Documenting Movements: The Case of Paradise Lost .......111 Paradise Lost and Paradise Lost Revelations............................................116 Transforming the Public Space Through Documentary............................120 Creating Deliberating Agents..........................................................122 Multiple Media Use Format ............................................................129 Instrumental Action ........................................................................131 Activist Documentary Film and Social Change........................................136 Conclusion ..............................................................................................139 CHAPTER FIVE: The Perils of Popularity: The Case of Michael Moore .........142 Michael Moore and Fahrenheit 9/11 ........................................................149 Framing Moore’s Credibility and Objectivity ..........................................157 Moore As An Irrational Agitator.....................................................158 Frame of Antagonism.............................................................158

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