Out-Siders: Auteurs in Place by Nathan B. Koob a Dissertation
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Out-siders: Auteurs in Place by Nathan B. Koob A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Screen Arts and Cultures) in the University of Michigan 2015 Doctoral Committee: Professor Caryl Flinn, Co-Chair Associate Professor Daniel Chilcote Herbert, Co-Chair Emeritus Professor Richard Abel Distinguished Professor Lucy Fischer, University of Pittsburgh Professor Johannes von Moltke © Nathan B. Koob 2015 For My Family: Elise, Mom, Dad, Lisa, Crew Whose love and support never wavers and is always in place. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I imagine that every dissertation feels like a journey and in this case I feel like it is more a descriptor than a metaphor at this point given the amount of travel and discovery involved. I am overwhelmed by just thinking about the many people who have helped me to reach this place where I am at and I am so incredibly grateful. I would be remiss to not start at the beginning and mention my Senior High School English teacher who first began to teach me that cinema was something I could both love and engage with intellectually. I will never forget that John Erwin started me on this path by loaning me great films and being kind enough to sit down and talk with me about them. In my undergrad at Oklahoma State University I was lucky to have a mentor who understood my passion for the subject of media studies and how best to direct it. Hugh Manon was extremely important to my early development as a scholar and encouraging me to go to graduate school. I must also express my gratitude to Martin Wallen, who taught me definitively that one can be a scholar and passionate about your field of study all at the same time, and Lacy Landrum for the encouragement, enthusiasm and time she gave to a young undergraduate student. During my MA work at the University of Pittsburgh I found myself in the midst of a very welcoming and challenging environment that undoubtedly helped shape me into the scholar I have become. I must first and foremost especially thank both Lucy Fischer and my advisor Mark Lynn Anderson for their overwhelming support. Even when I was unsure what I would go on to study, they never wavered in their conviction that it would be something interesting and fulfilling—I think they were right. Mark has always been there for me both during and since my iii time at Pittsburgh and I cannot express how much I appreciate his attention to my development as a scholar. Lucy has always inspired me to do great work and her faith in me pushes me on to do bigger and better things. She can take credit for being the first person to push me into performing interviews while I was editor for the program’s newsletter, and it taught me a lot about effective methods and strategies which I still rely on in my work. I must also thank Neepa Majumdar, Marcia Landy, Jane Feuer, Randall Halle, Adam Lowenstein and Mark Best for all of their guidance during my time there. I was very excited to join the intellectual environment at the University of Michigan’s Screen Arts and Cultures Department. I was interested in being a part of the development of a young graduate program and was attracted to the interdisciplinary nature of the University, both of which I found invigorating. I feel it safe to say that this was the place for me to develop this project. This project would not have been possible, given all of the travel involved, without the generous financial support available here especially the Screen Arts and Cultures Summer Research Grants and the Rackham Research Grants. I must also thank the department for granting me two fellowships which were integral to my ability to finish this dissertation so efficiently. These funding sources allowed me to truly do the project I wanted to do. I must also thank the faculty here for their generous time and support: Yeidy Rivero, Giorgio Bertellini, Matthew Solomon, Colin Gunckel, Jim Burnstein, Terri Sarris, Chistopher McNamara, Robert Rayher, Hugh Cohen, Dawn Hollison, Veerendra Prassad and Victor Fanucchi. You have all helped to make my time at Michigan a thoroughly enriching experience and I treasure the times all of you have been available for guidance and discussions which I have truly found enlightening. I want to send special thanks to Mark Kligerman whose overwhelming encouragement and enthusiasm is infectious and has been much appreciated. I also want to iv specially thank Shiela Murphy for inspiring me to remain confident and sure-footed. I further want to express my gratitude to Markus Nornes for his guidance; Ogawa has not left my mind while working on this project—nor is he likely to anytime soon. Not enough praise can possibly be heaped onto the Screen Arts and Cultures staff. Marga Schuhwerk-Hample, Mary Lou Chipala, and Mariam Negaran have always been available to answer the questions of a perpetually lost graduate student even while making sure the department stays on its feet and always has magnificently-managed events. Special thanks to Carrie Moore for her vast knowledge that she is always ready to quickly and efficiently share. Her kindness is something we all strive to live up to. Further special thanks to Phil Hallman who has an unlimited pool of knowledge about cinematic texts, media formats and of course theaters. His passion for media is truly a daily inspiration. Archival research was an integral component of developing this dissertation and I must thank the University of Michigan Special Collections staff for all of their help. Especially Kathleen Dow, Ray Doswell, Peggy Daub and Kate Hutchens. Their generous patience with my questions was incredibly helpful and very much appreciated. I have yet to come across another archive with more accommodating, helpful and engaged staff. I also want to make sure to thank all of the people who agreed to sit down for interviews during my research for this dissertation. Their time and perspectives were so much appreciated and so crucial for the development of this project. My committee has been a tremendous source of support for me and I feel lucky to have gathered together such an impressive group of scholars. Co-chair Daniel Herbert always has faith that I will produce something great, and then I surprise myself by proving him right. His Material Practices seminar figured prominently in introducing me to the methods I would use to research and write this dissertation. His faith, guidance and example have led me through this very v intimidating process feeling confident and accomplished. Co-chair Caryl Flinn has been an inspiration. She constantly finds ways to challenge me that unquestionably make me a better scholar while also providing much-needed encouragement. I can say I would not be the writer I am today, and continue to strive to be, without Caryl. Together, Caryl and Dan have been a blessing and I cannot thank them enough for their work together in helping me reach this point. Richard Abel has been an extremely important source of guidance for me since my arrival at Michigan. His intimidating accomplishments left him no less approachable and his vast knowledge of the field has been truly enlightening. Being given the opportunity to perform research for Richard has been one of the most productive and eye-opening experiences of my career. By the time I went off to do my own archival work I found I had the foresight to develop clear goals and finish my research in a timely, efficient and rewarding manner. His careful attention to my writing has also been extremely influential and has re-shaped the ways I approach my scholarship. Johannes von Moltke was actually the person to call and invite me into this department and has served as an enthusiastic mentor ever since. I always find our conversations enlightening and encouraging and he was the first person to recommend a book combining cultural geography and media to me during my first term here. Even though I have already discussed Lucy Fischer, I must also point out that her graduate seminar on Authorship sparked, for me, the very beginnings of this dissertation project and I am so grateful she was able to be a part of its conclusion. I could think of no greater group than my colleagues at Michigan with which to celebrate our successes, commiserate our sorrows and to be there to pick each other up. I must first thank them for their friendship above all else. Peter Alilunas Erin Hanna, Nancy McVittie, Michael Arnold and Simonetta Menossi were all here upon my arrival to this program offering a welcome vi support system. I must thank Mike for all of all of the times we had intellectual discussions over drinks—you taught me a lot about being a grad student. Thanks to Nancy for consistently steering me back to reality, Simonetta for her passionate scholarship and to Peter for helping instill in me the confident scholar that I’m told was really there all along. Special thanks to Erin Hanna for providing the first place for SAC graduate students to bond and for enthusiastically discussing her work with me which has always served as an inspiration. I need to thank Feroz Hassan for teaching me that when it’s time to relax it’s time to relax right, Katy Peplin for all of the much-needed lunches where graduate student woes somehow turn into a fun afternoon, to Ben Strassfeld for bringing in the New York spirit and for wading through the trenches with me, to Josh Morrison for showing me that outside of my comfort zone is fun too, to Yuki Nakayama who always keeps me in check, to Kayti Lausch for showing me enjoyment has a place and that place is everywhere and to Richard Mwakasege-Minaya for keeping it real.