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Running head: BREAKING BOUNDARIES 1 Breaking Boundaries: Bhangra as a Mechanism for Identity Formation and Sociopolitical Refuge Among South Asian American Youths A Thesis Presented By Quisqueya G. Witbeck In the field of Global Studies & International Relations Northeastern University June 2018 BREAKING BOUNDARIES 2 Table of Contents Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………...3 Introduction………………………………………………………………………………….4 Literature Review…………………………………………………………………………....4 Cultural Expression & Identity Formation………………………………………….6 Challenges to Plurality………………………………………………………………7 Expanding Scope & Audience………………………………………………………9 Implications of Cultural Fusion…………………………………………………….10 Summary...………………………………………………………………………….12 Methodology……………………………………....………………………………………...12 Topics……………………………………………………………………………….12 Subjects……………………………………………………………………………..14 Analysis……………………………………………………………………………..16 Data………………………………………………………………………………………......17 Kirapa ate Sakati Bhangra…………………………………………………………..18 The Comparison Group……………………………………………………………..18 The Individuals……………………………………………………………………...19 Discussion…………………………………………………………………………………....27 Background………………………………………………………………………….27 Team Dynamics Structure & Authenticity ………………………………………….28 Originality: Crafting a Style………………………………………………………....31 Defining Desi: Negotiating Identity and Expectations in a Shared Medium………..32 Opinions & ideals.…………………………………………...……………...32 Credibility, expectations & exposure…………………...…………………..33 Refuge……………………………………………………………………………….36 Conclusions………………………………………………………………………………......39 Hypothesis 1…………………………………………………………………………39 Hypothesis 2………………………………………………………………………....40 Hypothesis 3………………………………………………………………………....41 Major Trends & Notable Points……………………………………………………...41 Limitations & Suggestions for Future Study………………………………………...43 References………………………………………………………………………………..…...45 BREAKING BOUNDARIES 3 Abstract This study explores the elements of South Asian American youths’ identity formation, reformation and reification through engagement with the Punjabi folk music and dance of Bhangra. As a popular manifestation of South Asian, diasporic culture Bhangra has come to symbolize a connection to individual participants’ South Asian heritage while allowing for the integration of musical and dance elements representative of individual’s present realities. This fusion of traditional and contemporary South Asian identities has contributed to the furtherance of a united pan-South Asian American identity, inclusive of non-traditional practices within the context of a traditional artform. This hybridity is embodied by Kirapa ate Sakati Bhangra (KSB) [Grace and Power Bhangra]; an all-female Bhangra team based in an urban area in the northeastern United States. Through observation and rhetorical analysis, qualitative infographics were produced to reflect the verbal expressions and associations made by individual dancers for the identification of broader thematic trends discussed by team members and the existing literature concerning South Asia, South Asian Americans, and the South Asian diasporic experience. Bhangra dancers from other teams composed a comparison group and served as a control. The data analysis and results are used to provide further insight into the dynamics which allow Bhangra to both serve the needs of and reflect the experiences of South Asian American youths while identifying Bhangra’s existing and emerging potential to provide a cathartic, cultural medium from which to both derive and make meaning. BREAKING BOUNDARIES 4 Breaking Boundaries: Bhangra as a Mechanism for Identity Formation and Sociopolitical Refuge Among South Asian American Youths Bhangra is a music and dance form which originates in the states of Punjab, located in the northwest of India and the southeast of Pakistan. It is a distinct, Punjabi artform: derived from a conglomeration of the region’s earlier folk musics and dances and traditionally reserved for men to perform during festivities associated with celebrations of the harvest (Roy, 2017a). However, Bhangra has become popular throughout the nations of the South Asian diaspora; including the United States (Warwick, 2000). In this sense, Bhangra provides a platform and a mechanism for the furtherance of a pan-South Asian American imagined community and national identity; thus, serving as a unifying cultural practice (Anderson, 2003). Given this framework, the question arises of how Bhangra serves as such a mechanism: the existence of a distinct, pan-South Asian ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ American imagined community provides a platform for South Asian American youths to find ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ solace in their shared, hybrid experiences. It is within the context of the South Asian American ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ diaspora that individuals’ shared experiences have supported a form of Bhangra which includes multilingual and multicultural elements relaying a distinct meaning of plurality, hybridity and consistent yet reflexive redefinition to practitioners and observers alike. Literature Review ​ As a diasporic cultural practice, Bhangra allows for the reformation or alteration of the South Asian American imagined community according to the individual and shared experiences and influences which manifest in people’s lives. This community consists of the collective of people who identify as South Asian American whether they know or live near each other. BREAKING BOUNDARIES 5 (Anderson, 2003). For the purpose of this study, South Asian Americans are defined as those of South Asian ancestry living in the United States irrespective of their place of birth or whether they themselves immigrated to the United States. Youths are defined as persons between the ages of 13 and 29. By analyzing text and film and undertaking observation, I assess how South Asian American youths have furthered a distinct pan-South Asian American identity through the practice and performance of Bhangra. As stated by Stuart Hall, “{...} individuals belong to a shared subculture when there is “a set of social rituals which underpin their collective identity and define them as a ‘group’ instead of a mere collection of individuals”” (Maira, 2002, 38). The existence of a Bhangra subculture hosted in both public and private venues, provides a platform for South Asian American youths to find comfort in their shared, hybrid experiences and furthers the integration of South Asian American culture into mainstream American culture (Deithrich, 1999; Jasper, 2014; Katrak, 2002; Leante, 2004; Maira, 2002; Roy, 2017a; Sikand, 1994; Wentz, 1993). This has considerable implications for local, regional and national American society as well as the resulting individual and group agency (Jasper, 2014; Zumkhwala-Cook, 2008). To the untrained eye or ear, Bhangra may appear to be one of many music and dance forms brought to the United States by South Asian immigrants. However, Bhangra is a distinct subgenre of bhangra; a traditional folk music and dance style from the states of Punjab in India and Pakistan (Leante, 2004; Maira, 2002; Katrak, 2002). This subgenre is the result of mixing traditional bhangra music with genres such as hip hop and rap; reflecting various South Asian and American themes, language usage and cultural norms (Kabir, 2004; Katrak, 2002; Wentz, 1993). The multifaceted nature of Bhangra is reflective of the various influences present in the lives of South Asian Americans (Guilbault & Lipsitz, 1994). In this way, Bhangra is a cultural BREAKING BOUNDARIES 6 production which represents the construction of meaning and identity in a dynamic cultural context (Leante, 2004). Attempting to navigate their personal preferences, cross-cultural influences and the expectations of older generations and/or the larger South Asian diasporic community, South Asian American youths have aided in the construction of a pan-South Asian American identity which challenges fixed notions of authenticity and right action (Hofstede, Hofstede & Minkov, 2010; Katrak, 2002; Sikand, 1994; Taylor, 1997; Wentz, 1993). As Katrak states, “The impacts of globalization and diasporic populations have influenced new community formations, especially in terms of transitional times when first generations may be tied emotionally and by value-systems to homelands, and [the] second-generation may be more comfortable in [their] adoptive, diasporic homes” (2002, 76). The diversity of individuals’ experiences is reflected in Bhangra, making it a distinct and notable mechanism for establishing belonging and manifesting identity. Cultural Expression & Identity Formation Yodh states that, “An expatriate perforce has a dual life: a public one which must conform to the adopted country’s culture and ethics, and a private one which retains and reflects his/her own culture and ethics. A balance has to be attained between the public and private life” (1988). While not all South Asian American youths are necessarily expatriates, Yodh’s sentiments permeate several authors’ works and help explain the success of Bhangra in aiding in the construction of a pan-South Asian American identity. As a fusion artform, Bhangra allows for an affirmation of shared history and culture while allowing for reinvention and interpretation which espouses the acceptance of individuality and difference (Hall, 1990). In this way, dance BREAKING BOUNDARIES 7 allows for the individual acknowledgement of communal narratives without necessitating the full adoption of practices or perspectives which may conflict with the

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