Pākehā Practice: Music and National Identity in Postcolonial Aotearoa/New Zealand by Liam Prince a Thesis Submitted to the Vi
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Pākehā Practice: Music and National Identity in Postcolonial Aotearoa/New Zealand By Liam Prince A thesis submitted to the Victoria University of Wellington in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Music in Musicology Victoria University of Wellington 2017 1 Abstract National discourses specific to Aotearoa/New Zealand — for example, biculturalism, which reimagines Māori-Pākehā relations as a partnership based on the Treaty of Waitangi — help to construct, express, and articulate connections between music and New Zealand identity. Yet unquestioned nationalisms — however benign or ‘official’ they seem — can marginalize some ways of being, knowing, organizing, and music-making, through their capacity to advance and reinforce undisclosed social values and political agendas. In this way, nationalism often disguises the consequences of those values and agendas. This thesis demonstrates how, by unproblematically invoking nationalisms for various purposes, significant New Zealand music-related institutions inadvertently reproduce Eurocentric national identity narratives which overlook the social, cultural, economic and political inequities of Aotearoa/NZ’s postcolonial present. Such narratives normalize conceptions of ‘New Zealand music’ dominated by historic and evolving cultural and economic connections between New Zealand society and the broader postcolonial Anglosphere. Consequently, identifications of ‘New Zealand’ culture and music often reflect dominant Pākehā norms, against which other musical traditions are contrasted. Several prominent ‘national’ institutions involved with music are examined through three cases studies. The first considers how state-supported music policies and agencies construct and legitimize economic, artistic and democratic ideologies as national values, and explores the consequences of a frequent failure to distinguish between a cultural identity, based on dominant Pākehā norms and values, and a culturally plural civic-based national identity. The second case study examines events during and surrounding two major music awards ceremonies, the Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards and the Silver Scroll Awards, showing how these ceremonies construct and reinforce a prestige hierarchy of ‘New Zealand music’ in which Anglo-American popular music styles are privileged over other musical expressions. The consequences for cultural representation in relation to New Zealand identity are considered. The final case study analyses the New Zealand popular music heritage presented at Auckland Museum’s exhibition, Volume: Making Music in Aotearoa. Volume’s displays and stories, contextualized and informed by Auckland Museum and prominent entities in New Zealand’s music industry, are shown to reinforce a dominant New Zealand music ‘Kiwiana’, neglecting divergent cultural perspectives and political positions. 2 The thesis draws on comparative analyses of qualitative interviews conducted by the author, documents and reports, press media and journalism, audiovisual broadcasts and recordings, promotional material and museum visits. These primary materials are contextualized in wider literatures — particularly on nationalism, postcolonialism and music — to provide critical perspectives on historic social, political and cultural issues regarding New Zealand national identity and its relationship to music. 3 Acknowledgements I am deeply grateful to everyone who supported me throughout this research process. My primary supervisor, Dr Kimberly Cannady, gave just the right amount of guidance, and distance, for me to lose myself in books to find the right ideas. Kim always listened and cared for my concerns, which I so greatly appreciated in times of isolation. While I did not often interact with my secondary supervisor, Dr Robert Legg, his timely contributions in the last few months were exceptionally helpful. I thank my supervisors for nudging me through a rewarding and fascinating year. I had many informal but stimulating conversations about my work. Norman Meehan, who has put a lot of thought and work into this topic, was a source of wisdom and a great sounding- board for my developing ideas. Norman’s warmth and generosity, but also his frankness and intensity, are qualities that make his company lovely and engaging. My kōrero with Emma Powell, while brief, were insightful and gave me fresh new perspectives. Running into Dayle Jellyman over lunches on campus often led to long and thoughtful discussions about the realities of twenty-first century music-making in Aotearoa/New Zealand, about which Dayle was particularly perceptive. Marika Pratley was very supportive when I saw her, and our conversations always covered vast distances. Thanks to you all, and those unmentioned. I am indebted to my participants for their openness and generosity in answering my sometimes difficult questions. Even those not referenced in this thesis were enormously helpful in developing my ideas and research. Special thanks to Makerita Urale for her graciousness, and to Graham Reid for sharing gems of wisdom within such a short timeframe. Victoria University and Te Kōkī New Zealand School of Music have been excellent hosts for my research. I was delighted to receive a Victoria Master’s Fees Scholarship. The facilities and resources, events and opportunities at these institutions are fantastic, and I wish I had more time to take advantage of them. Finally, my family have been unconditionally supportive throughout my study. Visits from my parents were always lovely. Lance Blumhardt and Luciana Pelosi were incomparable hosts while visiting them on Waiheke Island. Thanks to Luca Blumhardt for his thoughts and help with my drafts. Most of all, thanks to Hannah Blumhardt for her profound support. She is tireless, exceptionally thoughtful, stimulating, and her dedication to me, my work, and to life itself are humbling and inspiring. 4 Contents Preface .................................................................................................................................... 6 Terminology ........................................................................................................................... 7 Methodology .......................................................................................................................... 8 Chapter One: Whose New Zealand? ......................................................................... 11 Nationalism, the Nation and National Identity ..................................................................... 12 Music and National Identity ............................................................................................. 14 Biculturalism and Ethnicity .................................................................................................. 16 Postcolonialism, the State and Official Nationalisms .......................................................... 21 Chapter Two: The Art of State-Nationhood: Music and Arts Policy ............ 28 The History of Nation-Building Arts Policies ...................................................................... 29 From High-Culture to Multiculturalism ............................................................................... 32 Conflating Nationalisms ................................................................................................... 37 Neoliberalism and National Branding .................................................................................. 41 Popular Music .................................................................................................................. 42 Kaupapa Māori Popular Music........................................................................................ 45 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 48 Chapter Three: Competing for National Recognition: The Business of Representation at Music Awards Ceremonies ....................................................... 50 The National Awards ........................................................................................................... 50 A ‘Glocal’ Music Industry ................................................................................................... 53 Categories, Diversity, and Hierarchies ................................................................................. 59 Cultural/Ethnic Representation ........................................................................................ 64 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 67 Chapter Four: New Zealand Mus[ic]eum ................................................................ 69 The Context of the Museum ................................................................................................. 70 Destination New Zealand ................................................................................................. 70 Object, Memory, and Culture ........................................................................................... 73 Volume: The (re)Production of New Zealand Music Heritage ............................................ 75 The Music Industry’s ‘Virtual’ Heritage .......................................................................... 75 5 Objects and Displays ........................................................................................................ 78 Social Inclusion ...............................................................................................................