DESIREE R. YOMTOOB DISSERTATION Subm
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MOVING: KNOWLEDGE, IMAGE, EMBODIMENT AND IRANIAN-AMERICAN IDENTITY IN THE POST-911 USA. BY: DESIREE R. YOMTOOB DISSERTATION Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Communications in the Graduate College of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2013 Urbana, Illinois Doctoral Committee: Research Professor Norman K. Denzin, Chair Research Professor Clifford Christians Full Time Lecturer Philip Johnston Professor Cameron McCarthy Abstract This dissertation ascribes an extended methodology of auto-ethnography to the problem of apprehending the cultural and affective crossways symbiotic with post 911, late capitalism, in the United States and on the Transnational Stage. It introduces a performative approach derived from Somatics and forms of improvisation to further elucidate notions of presence as culture in this particular context. It also includes storytelling elements that I feel necessary for surviving this period of time intact, that being a reliance on hope, wonder, audacity and truth-telling. As global structural elements have shifted, new wars are being fought and new types of racisms appear, patterns of communication as affect and presence make tricky new turns which practitioners of the technologies of affective resistance, need to understand. This dissertation works to contribute in that direction. To make this goal, extended elements of performance ethnography and auto-ethnography are used in conjunction with the tried and true formal elements of performance ethnography. Some of these include, the use of self-portraiture, time lapse photography, installation, the use of improvisational movement and the use of elements of magical realism in storytelling. Many, many of my moves here are rooted in the works of postcolonial writers, thinkers and, in particular, postcolonial third world feminist artists. I place this work in the honorable lineage of postcolonialists and third world feminists, who are busy capturing meaning and producing counter practices and counter narratives to hegemonic practices and narratives. My work attempts this kind of intervention on a tacit level. ! ii! Acknowledgements This dissertation is first dedicated to my mother. My mother whose knowledge and gifts far exceeded her opportunities, and who believed that there was no limit to what her children could achieve. My mother knew with her heart, that was boundless, and shared with us her limitless curiosity and love for learning. Always in creative process, she cultivated a sense of play and artfulness in me, her little girl grown larger, and always, always saw what was good in me and believed in me, and taught me that everything could made right with love. Thank you to my sister Lila for her very generous care while I was writing. Little munchkin grown into lovely woman, I thank you for your always company for this many years. Your creativity and artfulness and constant belief in growth is inspiring to me. To my uncle Fouad, for your delightful presence in my life, reminding me always that I deserve the very best. Thank you to my father, for teaching me about having a sense of humor, and teaching me in your no nonsense way that anything worth doing can be done. The joy that is in your heart, will always be cherished by me. Thank you to my very important and beautiful friend Gale. My dear, friends for thirty five years! Thanks for hanging in there with me and for helping me along during these dissertation years. I shine joy and blessings on your deepest wishes. For my friend Claudio, who holds one part of what I understand. Dear friend, who can tell what parts of me would not be there if it were not for you strength, care and shelter to sustain them. Thank you for being there for me as I grew into the person I am. I wish you ! iii! peace and well being. Thank you, Dani for your support. Himika, bright shining light. Thank you for sharing your adventures and journeys with me, be they be stories of your long walks on Columbus drive, or the Himalayas, up steep slopes of thought or down long trailways of academic administration, your company is so wonderful, refreshing and safe. I honestly believe you are the smartest one of the whole slew of us, and the funniest too. Thanks darling, for your care every step of the way. You are so wonderful in so many ways. To my always buddy Jacob Crawford for being one of the strongest and largest person on the inside people I know. With you I remember how much is possible, cause you got it in you. Miguel Malagreca, thanks for sharing special moments during the process of this work and for believing in my future, painted with the broadest and most imaginative brush possible. You are still my favorite conversation partner. Aisha, so generous are you. Thanks for being such a great inspiration. Carolyn, lovely one, caring and wonderful to share with. Thank you Stephen Hocker, whose care helps me to feel safe and whose conversation helps me to feel interested. Thank you Richard D, for the warm spaces you create, the love you give and your light humor which makes everything easier. Music flows out of you all the time. Thank you Ted Faust, for the on vibe conversation, Brice Henson, for the loving hugs. Sasha Mobley for being so damn smart and cute, and making the world more interesting. Maritza Q. for her smart company and supportive words, and Celiany, for sharing her good taste. Thank you James Salvo for being a wonderful example of someone who learns for the love of it. Thanks to Melba V and Myra W for great conversations and support along the way. ! iv! Thanks Ray, for being such a good friend. Big thanks to the James Lorr and Anna, at the Urbana Acupuncture Clinic for putting my back back together so that I could finish this project. Also, to Mr Ge, for the very good treatment while writing. Big thanks to my friends in the dance community. What an extraordinarily rich world you have shared with me. Kate Insolia, Hallie Aldrich, Sara Hook, Jennifer Monson, Catrina Choate , Rebecca Nettl Fiol. Kirstie Simson and Cynthia Oliver. What a wonderful treasure the U of I Dance Department is, artists flourishing, with a great amount of gratitude. Thank you present and former members of the CU Alexander Technique and somatics community, Alex and Joan Murray, Jonah Weiskamp, Billy LeGrand, Solomon Baer, Ya- Ju Lin, Karen De Wig, Wendy Denny. Incredible listeners to the body, you have taught me so much. Thanks you German Department, for employing me while I was finishing the dissertation. Very nice place to work! Particular thanks to my friend Kate Freeman for the wonderful conversation and advice. Thanks also to Carola and Illona, my dissertation finishing buddies. Thanks to Caroline Nappo, Wen-Rei Chen, Han Dong, Christina Ciesel, Brian Dolber, Sayuri Arai, John Anderson, Koeli Goal, Mel Stanfill, Steve Doran, Alice Lauo, Owen K, for being such smarty good cheerful and kind company while I was getting this work done! Thanks to Juan Gerardo and Jose Peralta for the wonderful oasis of help, kindness and fun and interesting conversation. And Sukki Yoon, who was a very unlikely artists ! v! assistant at the eleventh hour cutting large paper on the Armory hallway floor. Special thanks to Kathy Jamison for being a lovely and generous collegue. Thanks to my friends at the U of I main library, Robin, Susie, Bridgette, Dixie, Judith, Paul K, Lisa Miler, and to the gorgeous library itself, one of my favorite places, the unconditional love and kindness I experienced from my friends there, along with the dizzying and glittering amount of books, books, books and much needing of polish brass chandeliers and warm wood paneling, helped me to find the way to an open heart and my dreams. Thanks you to the Deppe family, your warmth and kindness over the years has been so wonderful. Thank you friends and community at Common Ground Food Co-op for the wonderful drop-in company and friendly conversation, for listening to me talk about the progress of my project and for being happy with me! Nightrain, “How you doing?”, “I’m great!” Thanks to professors who were a part of my life before this project began. Dr Janet Keller, who I told the dream of making ethnographies that are performances so long ago, and who believed in me. Professor William Brooks who helped me along when I was working with composers and remembered so many years later that I had a dream. Dr Allejandro Lugo, who has been a remarkable and warm ally. Thank you very much Dr Lugo, the way you share and express your dedication to the profession, reminds me that there is so very much more to doing the work than most people understand. I believe that this is soul/spirit work and when I talk to you I am reminded that it is not only me that ! vi! believes this. It is friendships like yours that keep me believing that I will someday find home in these kinds of work. To my favorite friends at the Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, Bob Rhinehart, Pirkko Markula, Jim Denison, Marcelo Diversi, and Nelson, your company while I have been trying to figure this out has been excellent. Thanks so much for the thoughtfulness, encouragement and support and for letting me into your bunch. Thank you, Jayne Caudwell, for being my far away pal, for the kind compassion, and for reminding me that home is somewhere on the trailways, we blaze and roam. And Angeliki, thank you for stepping back in to my life during the tail end, or tale’s end of this piece of the project.