A Feminist Corporeal Analysis of Palms, Oxford Street, Sydney Australia
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
University of Wollongong Research Online Faculty of Social Sciences - Honours Theses University of Wollongong Thesis Collections 2019 The sexual politics of clubbing: a feminist corporeal analysis of Palms, Oxford Street, Sydney Australia Dominique Pezzutto Follow this and additional works at: https://ro.uow.edu.au/thss University of Wollongong Copyright Warning You may print or download ONE copy of this document for the purpose of your own research or study. The University does not authorise you to copy, communicate or otherwise make available electronically to any other person any copyright material contained on this site. You are reminded of the following: This work is copyright. Apart from any use permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part of this work may be reproduced by any process, nor may any other exclusive right be exercised, without the permission of the author. Copyright owners are entitled to take legal action against persons who infringe their copyright. A reproduction of material that is protected by copyright may be a copyright infringement. A court may impose penalties and award damages in relation to offences and infringements relating to copyright material. Higher penalties may apply, and higher damages may be awarded, for offences and infringements involving the conversion of material into digital or electronic form. Unless otherwise indicated, the views expressed in this thesis are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the University of Wollongong. Recommended Citation Pezzutto, Dominique, The sexual politics of clubbing: a feminist corporeal analysis of Palms, Oxford Street, Sydney Australia, GEOG401: Human Geography (Honours), SGSC, University of Wollongong, 2019. https://ro.uow.edu.au/thss/19 Research Online is the open access institutional repository for the University of Wollongong. For further information contact the UOW Library: [email protected] The sexual politics of clubbing: a feminist corporeal analysis of Palms, Oxford Street, Sydney Australia Abstract Individual and collective subjectivities are central to geographical research on clubbing (Binnie, 2014). The sexual politics of clubbing is usually approached along homonormative conceptualisations that position clubs together with narrowed expressions of gayness such as young, white, gym-toned bodies. Drawing on feminist, corporeal geographies inspired by Elspeth Probyn (2003) and Gill Valentine (2007), this research argues that such an approach to the politics of inclusion and exclusion may overlook the diversity of gay subjectivities that clubbing experiences give rise to. This thesis draws on qualitative fieldwork conducted on one nightclub, Palms, on Oxford Street, Sydney, to argue that the politics of inclusion and exclusion needs to attend foremost to how ideas about sexuality are configured through the materiality of clubs and affective elements like music, lighting and other bodies. An interpretation is offered as to how Palms is embedded in sets of ideas about Oxford Street that project meanings about who belongs in the club based on intersections of age, gender, sexuality, class, and dress codes. The queuing practice outside Palms illustrates how the club enables particular classed, gendered and sexual subjectivities to flourish. Inside the club, the ‘light vibe’ expressed through a love and vulnerability to ‘uncool’ music and a ‘daggy’ decor demonstrated how Palms sits in contrast to understandings of clubbing being defined yb drug-taking or pretentious codes based on age, music and fashion. In the context of arguments about post-gay life, or mobile gay cultures experienced in Sydney, this thesis expands understandings of clubs, clubbing and gayness in queer times. Knowledge produced in this thesis calls for more research into the embodied dimensions of a night-out that consider more spatially situated evaluations on the politics of clubbing. Degree Type Thesis Degree Name GEOG401: Human Geography (Honours) Department SGSC Advisor(s) Professor Gordon Waitt and Dr Scott McKinnon Keywords SGSC, GSC, Oxford Street Sydney, sexual politics, clubbing, feminist, corporeal analysis This thesis is available at Research Online: https://ro.uow.edu.au/thss/19 University of Wollongong Research Online Faculty of Social Sciences - Honours University of Wollongong Thesis Collections 2019 The sexual politics of clubbing: a feminist corporeal analysis of Palms, Oxford Street, Sydney Australia Dominique Pezzutto University of Wollongong A thesis submitted in part fulfilment of the requirement of the Honours Degree of Bachelor of Science in the School of Geography and Sustainable Communities 2019. Supervisors Professor Gordon Waitt and Dr Scott McKinnon Follow this and additional works at: http://ro.uow.edu.au/thss Recommended Citation Pezzutto, Dominique, The sexual politics of clubbing: a feminist corporeal analysis of Palms, Oxford Street, Sydney Australia, Honours Degree of Bachelor of Science - Human Geography, Geography and Sustainable Communities, University of Wollongong, 2019, http://ro.uow.edu.au/thss Research Online is the open access institutional repository for the University of Wollongong. For further information contact the UOW Library: [email protected] The information in this thesis is entirely the result of investigations conducted by the author, unless otherwise acknowledged, and has not been submitted in part, or otherwise, for any other degree or qualification. Signed 20 May 2019 ii Abstract Individual and collective subjectivities are central to geographical research on clubbing (Binnie, 2014). The sexual politics of clubbing is usually approached along homonormative conceptualisations that position clubs together with narrowed expressions of gayness such as young, white, gym-toned bodies. Drawing on feminist, corporeal geographies inspired by Elspeth Probyn (2003) and Gill Valentine (2007), this research argues that such an approach to the politics of inclusion and exclusion may overlook the diversity of gay subjectivities that clubbing experiences give rise to. This thesis draws on qualitative fieldwork conducted on one nightclub, Palms, on Oxford Street, Sydney, to argue that the politics of inclusion and exclusion needs to attend foremost to how ideas about sexuality are configured through the materiality of clubs and affective elements like music, lighting and other bodies. An interpretation is offered as to how Palms is embedded in sets of ideas about Oxford Street that project meanings about who belongs in the club based on intersections of age, gender, sexuality, class, and dress codes. The queuing practice outside Palms illustrates how the club enables particular classed, gendered and sexual subjectivities to flourish. Inside the club, the ‘light vibe’ expressed through a love and vulnerability to ‘uncool’ music and a ‘daggy’ decor demonstrated how Palms sits in contrast to understandings of clubbing being defined by drug-taking or pretentious codes based on age, music and fashion. In the context of arguments about post-gay life, or mobile gay cultures experienced in Sydney, this thesis expands understandings of clubs, clubbing and gayness in queer times. Knowledge produced in this thesis calls for more research into the embodied dimensions of a night-out that consider more spatially situated evaluations on the politics of clubbing. Keywords Oxford Street Sydney, sexual politics, clubbing, feminist corporeal analysis iii Acknowledgements First I’d like to thank my supervisors Gordon Waitt and Scott McKinnon for inspiring, supporting and encouraging me throughout this year. Thank you for always replying promptly to emails and returning draft chapters amidst busy schedules. I’m grateful for the opportunity to have worked with two people I hold a lot of respect for as academics and teachers. Thank you to the participants, who believed in this project and welcomed me into your homes and private spaces to share your stories. Thank you for giving me a platform to record the histories of Oxford Street. Finally, thank you to my family who supported me through difficulties this year. And to my late brother Aidan, whose memory dances on through the culture of Oxford Street. iv Table of Contents Chapter 1 Introduction…………………………………………………………………...1 1.1 Background......................................................................................................2 1.2 Thesis Structure...............................................................................................3 Chapter 2 The Historical Geographies of Oxford Street...................................................7 2.1 Introduction………………………………………………………………….8 2.2 Going underground: opening more than doors……………………………..10 2.3 Clubbing in Scooters, Oxford Street during the late 1980s and 1990s..........16 2.4 Palms in the context of Oxford Street; post 2000…………………………..19 2.5 Conclusion………………………………………………………………….25 Chapter 3 Literature Review……………………………………………………………26 3.1 Introduction………………………………………………………………...27 3.2 Sexualities and the City…………………………………………………….28 3.3 Clubbing Cultures…………………………………………………………..31 3.3.1 Night-time economy……………………………………………...31 3.3.2 Emotional geographies…………………………………………...32 3.4 Conceptual Framework……………………………………………………..34 3.5 Conclusion………………………………………………………………….37 Chapter 4 Methods……………………………………………………………………...39 4.1 Introduction………………………………………………………………...40 4.2 Positionality and personal research diary…………………………………..40 4.3 Oral histories………………………………………………………………..42 4.3.1 Techniques used