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Performing Toilets: Putting Matter Into Place Danielle Dick Mcgeough Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College

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Performing Toilets: Putting Matter Into Place Danielle Dick Mcgeough Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 2011 Performing toilets: putting matter into place Danielle Dick McGeough Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations Part of the Communication Commons Recommended Citation Dick McGeough, Danielle, "Performing toilets: putting matter into place" (2011). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 157. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/157 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please [email protected]. PERFORMING TOILETS: PUTTING MATTER INTO PLACE A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College In partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of Communication Studies By Danielle Dick McGeough B.A., University of Northern Iowa, 2004 M.A., University of Northern Iowa, 2007 December 2011 Acknowledgements The process of writing is full of moments of self-doubt and possibility, isolation and connection, pleasure and frustration. Persevering through the process of writing is dependent on the bonds of real friendships and collaboration. There are many people whose unconditional love continues to nurture me in ways far beyond my expectations. I am forever grateful to those of you who have made this project possible. Thank you. Dr. Ruth Laurion Bowman, thank you for selflessly offering your time and energy to comment on these words and ideas, and critically engaging with me in generous and generative ways. Thank you for teaching me to “start small and keep pressing,” that personal and intellectual growth occurs gradually and requires patience, and encouraging me to embrace life’s contingencies. You are the best! Dr. Tracy Shaffer, thank your for understanding and showing me the sheer power of pedagogy to transform the classroom, the stage, and our communities. Thank you for your playful approach to living and to scholarship, your integrity, and levelheaded advice. Dr. Rachel Hall, thank you for your critical insights on Crap Happens and a number of my other projects and for taking the time to talk me through the job interview process. Dr. Michael Bowman, thank you for introducing me to Mary Douglas’ concept of dirt and for your frank honesty in the classroom. Dr. Helen Regis, thank you for introducing me to anthropology, for being a great listener, and for your encouragement and guidance. Dr. James Murphy, thank you for your generous contributions to my project. Thank you Dr. Karen Mitchell and Dr. Catherine Palczewski, both of whom have been extraordinary mentors and friends. It is your dedication, passion, and belief in the educational process that encouraged me to pursue my doctorate. I will continue to aim to show my students the same level of commitment, care, and, at times, tough love. ii Dr. Loretta Pecchioni, thank you for insights on early drafts of Chapter Three, for lunch dates, and for sharing with me your love for dogs and football. Dr. Jenn Erdley, thank you for your sisterly love and encouragement. You help me keep pressing on, offer gentle and intelligent advice, and remind me of the important things in life. Dr. Cora Leighton, whose conversations, phone calls, and emails over the past years have kept me sane and challenged me to think about the world in new ways. Jenn Freitag, thank you for wall dancing and being a brilliant, beautiful friend. Michelle Pence, who has shown me what it looks like to take on life with courage, strength, and the perfect shade of red lipstick. Pavica Sheldon, for believing in me, laughing with me, and being there always. Brandi Malone and Laura Landry, thank you for your friendship and love. To my many friends at LSU, who have entertained my incessant talk about fecal matter, I cannot imagine LSU without all of you. Mike Rold, Rya Butterfield, Benjamin Haas, Jade Huell, Brianne Waychoff, Brandon Nicholas, Travis Brisini, Emily Graves, Sarah Jackson, Joe Rhodes, Chas Womelsdorf, Chris Gearhart, Holley Vaughn, and David Tarvin. I miss you all and look forward to seeing you at many NCAs to come. To my parents, Jim and Mary Dick, and my sisters Nicole and Erika. You have been patient, supportive, and your interest in my work makes me smile. To my grandma, thank you for showing me how to live a charitable and inclusive life. To Denny, Coral, and Briana McGeough, my second family. You make me feel like I can do anything. I am so blessed. Finally, to my amazing husband Ryan McGeough, who has intimate knowledge of my bathroom practices and continues to love me. Thanks for your intellectual insights, patience, pep talks, and infinite support. Let’s be stinky together forever. iii Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................................ ii LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................................... vi ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................. vii CHAPTER ONE. PERFORMING TOILETS ................................................................................1 CHAPTER TWO. POTS AND PURITY: PERFORMING THE DOMESTIC GODDESS IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY .................................................................................................17 Social Performance in Nineteenth Century U.S. ...............................................................22 A Haven in a Heartless World ...........................................................................................24 Front Stage and Backstage with the Domestic Goddess ....................................................27 The American Woman’s Home .........................................................................................31 Making Toilets Visible ......................................................................................................35 Toward a Corporeal History ..............................................................................................39 CHAPTER THREE. INDIAN TOILET FESTIVALS: PERFORMING COMMUNITY, CITIZENSHIP, AND SANITATION ACTIVISM ......................................................................41 Sanitation in Mumbai and Pune .........................................................................................45 Water, Women, and Sanitation ..........................................................................................48 Dirt Is a Fact and a Symbol ................................................................................................50 The Alliance .......................................................................................................................53 Toilet Festivals as Image Theatre ......................................................................................61 CHAPTER FOUR. THE CLOACA CARNIVAL ........................................................................69 Pissing in the Wind: The Artwork of Wim Delvoye .........................................................72 Divergent Views of Cloaca ...............................................................................................76 Carnival Laughter and the Grotesque Body of Cloaca ......................................................81 Performing the Carnivalesque Monster .............................................................................88 CHAPTER FIVE. WORLD TOILET DAY: SQUATTING FOR GLOBAL SANITATION ACTIVISM ...................................................................................................................................94 The World Toilet Organization ..........................................................................................95 The Big Squat at LSU ........................................................................................................98 Humor and Parody in the Big Squat ................................................................................101 Shame and Activism ........................................................................................................107 Communicating Community ............................................................................................112 iv CHAPTER SIX. PUTTING MATTER INTO PLACE ..............................................................114 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................126 VITA ............................................................................................................................................135 v List of Figures 1. LSU Students Squat for World Toilet Day ...............................................................................95 2. LSU Big Squat Lecture ...........................................................................................................100 3. Laughter at the Big Squat .......................................................................................................102 4. Low-to-the-Ground Squat .......................................................................................................106
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