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(Bluegrass) Festivals Jordan Leanne Laney Dissertation Submitted to the F Recreating and Deconstructing the Shifting Politics of (Bluegrass) Festivals Jordan LeAnne Laney Dissertation submitted to the faculty of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy In Alliance for Social Political Ethical and Cultural Thought Katrina M. Powell, Chair Elizabeth C. Fine Anthony Kwame Harrison Barbara Ellen Smith Max O. Stephenson Jr. August 8, 2018 Blacksburg, Virginia Keywords: Appalachian Studies, Bluegrass Music, Critical Regionalism, Ethnography, Qualitative Methods, Feminist Methodologies, Festivals Copyright (2018) Recreating and Deconstructing the Shifting Politics of (Bluegrass) Festivals Jordan LeAnne Laney ABSTRACT Utilizing archival research from Berea College's Appalachian Sound Archives and Appalachian State University's Belk Special Collection, more than 45 survey results, 15 extensive interviews, and participant observations from 15 festival field sites, I examine bluegrass festivals as sites of identity production through feminist methodologies and a participatory ethnographic approach. This requires careful analysis of the nature of the genre’s audience and audience members’ investments in the process of framing the performance of bluegrass music’s history through a shared historical narrative. More broadly, this analysis clarifies the nuanced role of bluegrass festivals in constructing generalizations about place-based identities, race, and gender within the performative space of festivals. In this assessment, the political and economic actions generated as a result of bluegrass performances are explored as temporal and spatial organizers for the (re)production and consumption of generalized ideals which are projected onto both literal and figurative southern stages. I perform this research utilizing the conceptual frameworks of theories of space and place, politics of culture, and feminist methods, combined through critical regionalism. My hypothesis is that bluegrass festivals serve as spaces to perform white patriarchal capitalist desires while relying on marginalized and hidden cultural productions and exchanges. My findings reveal that in order to gain a fuller understanding of politics culture, the stage must be subverted and the researcher's gaze must go beyond that which is typically traditionally framed to encompass the festival in its entirety. This requires seeking out not merely that which is intentionally framed but also narratives that create the stage or are omitted by dominant ways of interpreting the festival space. Ultimately, I find the significance of temporary physical sites for identity construction and the potential for dynamic social change within these spaces relies on the ability of scholars and participants alike to re-historicize and retell dominant narratives. Recreating and Deconstructing the Shifting Politics of (Bluegrass) Festivals Jordan LeAnne Laney ABSTRACT (GENERAL) The fantasized rural Appalachian region and greater south—a social construct, constantly created and recreated by social desires, political needs, and economic trends—has been a space of cultural production and experimentation, notably since the reconstruction era. One result has been the stereotypically regional genre of bluegrass music. This project asks how bluegrass music festivals began, for whom, and to what end. More importantly, it turns an eye towards research methods and power structures within the community. Research was conducted at Berea College’s Appalachian Sound Archives, at Appalachian State University’s Belk Special Collection, and through online surveys, participant observations, and interviews. In this dissertation, I carefully examine the role(s) of bluegrass festivals, specifically those envisioned and enacted by Carlton Haney (notably, in Fincastle, Virginia, in 1965). My findings illuminate how bluegrass festivals serve as sites where widely accepted generalizations about place (specifically, Appalachia and the rural American south) and specifically the bluegrass community are formed. Further, I address the role of gender within these spaces and the symbiotic relationship between female labor and bluegrass. The history of bluegrass festivals is approached with the intention of broadening discussions of gender, labor, and historical narratives beyond the festival grounds. Acknowledgments I am indebted to The Department of Religion and Culture and the Appalachian Studies program at Virginia Tech for the opportunity to design, develop, and instruct two courses concerning music and culture. “Bluegrass: Appalachian Roots and Influences” and “Southern Musical Routes: Music, Place, and Power” were propelled by curious students whose questions enrich my scholarship; thank you, Jared, Courtney, Grace, Flora, Katie, Megan, Olivia, and Sam. And thank you to Karen Moore and Amanda Villar for helping me with the fine print, always. My committee has gone above and beyond what committee’s sign on to do. Katy Powell, thank you for believing in me and reminding me to trust myself. Kwame Harrison, thank you for teaching me to embrace the teacher, listener, and storyteller in myself. Betty Fine, thank you for making my work stronger and my time here all the more enjoyable. Barbara Ellen Smith, thank you for reminding me that place matters, and perhaps unknowingly, reminding me that I matter. Max Stephenson, thank you for taking my work seriously, creating spaces for the community and academy to interact, and reminding me of why I do what I do. My deepest gratitude goes to readers, listeners, and path makers. Specifically, my gratitude extends to Asbury United Methodist Church for wisdom, guidance, and fellowship. Thank you to the Graduate Life Center for community and connections, particularly, Missy, Steve, Mike, and Randy; thank you for your encouragement and support. Barbara Ann Turner, Katie Cross, Meredith Doster, Erin Lavender-Stott, Anthony Szczurek, Jennifer Turner, and KC Arceneaux have listened and shared and laughed and helped me move forward, thank you. To Brittany Means, Kathryn Engle, Rebecca Branson Jones, and Skye McFarland: keep dancing, scheming, creating spaces of hope. Shelli Fowler, thank you for listening and helping me see that I belong here, too. Dean Karen DePauw, it is difficult to express how grateful I am for your guidance and support. The paths you’ve created have allowed me to see the world, and myself, in new ways. Thank you. To the wonderful students in the Berea College archives who aided with every request, and to Harry Rice, whose encouragement sharpened my archival eye and reminded me of the joy of listening, thank you. To the International Bluegrass Music Association, thank you for your support. To Bob “Quail” White, Cece Conway, Fred Bartenstein, and Fred Hay, I am so grateful for your encouragement, guidance, and enthusiasm. To the performers at the IBMA 2015 Fincastle Celebration, thank you. To the Willisau Bluegrass Festival, Bonnie Haney, Charles Haney, Becky Johnson, Art Menius, Paolo Dettwiler, Donald Wermuth, Phil Zimmerman, Gary Reid, and all those who sat for interviews or welcomed me to shows; thank you for your time, stories, and hospitality. Thank you all for journeying with me along this path. To Mama, Daddy, and Colby: thank you for your sacrifices and kindness. Thank you for (always) letting me take over the kitchen table and porch. Thank you for storing my own personal archive of cassettes, leaving your records and instruments where I could reach them, listening to stories about field work and fears, and celebrating joys along the way. Finally, thank you for graciously welcoming Cowboy and Lady (and myself) when we need you. Finally, all flaws in this document are my fault and not to be reflective of those who have so graciously welcomed me and given me the space to grow and fail and learn. To echo Woody Guthrie, “All of my words, if not well put or well taken, are well meant.” iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1: Welcome to the Festival: Study Overview 1 Introduction 1 Background: Defining and Contextualizing Bluegrass Festivals 5 Background: Personal Positionality 7 Purpose and Objectives 9 Research Questions 12 Findings 14 Project Significance 14 Methodological and Organizational Overview 16 Conclusion 18 BRIDGE: Translation and Tension 20 Chapter 2: Review of Literature and Theories 22 Introduction 22 Theoretical Framework: Space and Place 22 Festivals as Heterotopias 26 Bluegrass as an Imagined Community 29 Theoretical Framework: Feminist Theories and Theories about Performance 31 Theoretical Framework: Politics of Culture (History) 33 Theoretical Framework: Politics of Culture (Texts) 34 Foundational History: The Staging of “White” Culture 36 Theoretical Framework: Regional Studies 39 What is Bluegrass? 41 How Is Bluegrass Studied? 44 Trade Publications 45 Bluegrass Scholarship 46 Bluegrass Festivals 48 Conclusion 50 BRIDGE: Houstonfest: A Thick Description of a Festival 52 Chapter 3: Methodologies 56 Introduction 56 Chapter Overview 58 A Case for Feminist Methods 59 Connecting Project Methodology and Project Purpose 61 Method: Fieldwork 63 Method: Ethnography 65 Method: Oral History 67 Method: Queer Oral History 69 Method: Archival 71 Data: Interviewees 75 Data: Survey 77 Data: Field Sites 77 Data: Re-creating a Space to Study 81 Data: Trade Publications 82 Collection Technologies and Ethics of Capturing (Data) 86 v In Reflection: Feminist Methodologies and Issues of the Self 87 Conclusion: Making and Re-making a History 90 BRIDGE: Vibrations
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