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PLAYING THROUGH CONTRADICTIONS: INDO-PAK BASKETBALL AND EMBODYING SOUTH ASIAN AMERICAN MASCULINITY BY STANLEY ILANGO THANGARAJ DISSERTATION Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology in the Graduate College of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2010 Urbana, Illinois Doctoral Committee: Associate Professor Martin Manalansan, Co-Chair Associate Professor Junaid Rana, Co-Chair Professor Nancy Abelmann Professor David Roediger i ABSTRACT This is a qualitative research project incorporating ethnographic methods alongside interviews. Through these qualitative research methods, I sought out how South Asian Americans attribute meaning to leisure activities of basketball and dance clubs. In particular, I examined the Indo- Pak Basketball North American circuit in general and the local Atlanta South Asian American basketball scene in particular. I looked at how South Asian Americans utilize the cultural practices in basketball, its respective pleasures and desires, to talk about belonging and citizenship at the nexus of masculinity, sexuality, race, class, and ethnicity. By examining these cultural practices of belonging, basketball presents a venue by which to provide a critique of US citizenship through South Asian American masculinity while inserting South Asian American- ness into the cultural logic of US citizenship. Sporting and leisure venues allow for such masculine pleasures and desires that contest hegemonic discourses of South Asian Americans as forever foreign—social interactions and consumptive practices of leisure allow for cultural citizenship. Yet, such counter-hegemonic practices exist in fields of power. Thus, this research project explores how South Asian American identity formation takes place in a dialectical relationship of power whereby acts of resistance and re-imagination of normativities does not do away with such fields of power. Rather, the moment of resistance also implicates other workings of power whereby these cultural parameters of South Asian American-ness, through leisure space, begin to exclude various Others—women and queer subjects. Therefore, contesting citizenship through South Asian American masculinity also leads to productions of various other normativities. ii To Amma and Appa, I love you. iii Acknowledgments The completion of this research project has been an experience of joy and growth. It is not a project accomplished alone but rather through the actions and support of many people. It was a path never traversed alone. There are many people that I want to acknowledge for playing a role in the completion of my dissertation. I want to apologize in advance to those who I may have forgotten; the error is only mine, please forgive me. I owe so much to my various participants. I cannot thank all of you enough for giving your time, yourselves, and for sharing your stories with me. You all welcomed me fully as a researcher and as a friend. Your voices are the essence of my work. I am grateful to the Maryland Pillars for sharing their life histories, inviting me into their basketball spaces, and for their generosity. In Chicago, I want to thank Max and Rathi for all of their generosity. They not only shared their stories but they invited me into their homes as a friend. Rathi and Max gave so much of themselves and made the Chicago experience extremely rich. I want to thank my main interlocutors: Mustafa, Ali, Sanjeet, Daniel, Harpreet, Mohammed, Imran, Sultan, Ahmad, Mahmoud, Mustafa and Ali‘s parents, Susan, and Sharif. I especially want to thank Mustafa and Ali for making so much time for me. You gave so much of your energy, time, and histories to me. You two are at the heart of this research project, your life stories add the complexity and richness to my project. I would have failed to have known the complexity of South Asian America if not for your stories and your voices. You two are not only central figures in this story but also in my life. Thank you for letting me grow with you. iv I am also grateful to Daniel and the Monday/Thursday night basketball crew in Atlanta. Daniel and I reconnected after many years and the conversations with him pushed me to think deeply about my project. I cannot have added complexity to my project without my interactions with Sharif. Sharif opened up a whole new world of Muslim America that I had not previously known. I admire Sharif greatly and look to emulate his commitment to social justice. Sharif‘s guidance and friendship allowed me to be self-reflexive and understand my own position of power. Two institutions have played a major role in my matriculation to a PhD—University of Illinois and Vanderbilt University. At Vanderbilt University, I want to thank two people in particular. I am grateful to Vice Chancellor Mathew Wright and Provost Richard McCarty. Vice Chancellor Mathew Wright does incredible work and has been such an attentive ear. His belief in me and my scholarship fostered the writing that I did. I thank Provost McCarty for taking the time to meet with me on several occasions to give me the service-free dissertation writing fellowship which made possible the time to write. I want to thank Anton Flores, Linda Buchanan, and Stuart Gulley for providing me the opportunities to work and teach at LaGrange College; these experiences led me to the University of Illinois. In addition, I want to also thank Anton‘s family—Charlotte, Jairo, and Eli—for letting me crash at their home during my research in LaGrange. Tom Frank and Gail O‘Day were pillars of stability during my stays in Atlanta. Their generosity and graciousness cannot be overstated as they let me reside in their home every summer from 2004 till the summer of 2009. This unwavering support allowed me to conduct research while always having a space of my own. v I would also like to thank James Kim and Jenn Kim for sharing their lives, their friendships, and their home with me. When I had financial difficulties whereby I could not afford to rent an apartment, James and Jenn opened their homes to me. I have stayed with them for a couple of weeks on several occasions. Their friendship always rejuvenated me; I cherish the friendship. James and I worked out at the gym frequently; working out with James prepared me for the rigor of basketball play. Dan Dressler worked out with us and made sure I kept in shape and played basketball, I treasure his friendship. I also want to thank Nash Tehrani and Catherine Zidow for letting me stay at their places; their friendships were valuable. Catherine‘s generosity allowed me to be close to the participants; she opened her place to me and gave me the opportunity to coach volleyball to make funds for research. The administrators of the various programs and departments have played important roles in my development. From the very first time I met Liz Spears and Karla Harmon I felt welcome in the department of Anthropology at the University of Illinois. Although Shari French no longer works in the department, I want to acknowledge her contributions and support during my stay at Illinois. Liz and Karla were especially helpful in explaining such complex workings of the institution into terms that I could understand. In addition, their sincerity, warmth, and honesty made the department of Anthropology a welcoming environment. They opened up their lives and their families to me, thank you for that. At the Asian American Studies Program, I would like to thank Pia Sengsavanh, Viveka Kudliagama, and Mary Ellerbe. Viveka and Mary played an instrumental role during my last year in Champaign and were in contact for the next few years; thank you both for all of your help, support, and guidance. They made life as an Asian American Studies Teaching vi Assistant much easier; thank you for your friendship and your guidance. Thank you Viveka for all the work you did to make it possible to apply for Asian American Studies graduate minor. I want to thank Paul Garber, Andy Orta, Steve Leigh, and Alejandro Lugo in the Anthropology Department. Paul Garber was Chair and Andy Orta was the Director of graduate studies when I entered in fall 2004. Steve Leigh and Alejandro Lugo held the positions of Chair and Director of graduate studies during the majority of my stay at Illinois. The leadership by Steve and Alejandro invigorated me tremendously—their offices were always open to me. I am grateful to Steve for always giving an open ear to hear my concerns and respecting my point of view. Alejandro Lugo did so much work to make real the conversations taking place at the macro and micro levels in the department. He showed true concern for me as a student, young scholar, and as a person of color. Other faculty in Anthropology also played a critical role in my progress. Arlene Torres gave a talk to my cohort about the intellectual lineage that we all come from, that talk still resonates in my head. Plus, Arlene introduced me to Stanley Greaves whom I quote. During one of my conversations with Matti Bunzl after the ―Modern Europe‖ class, I first spoke of Indo-Pak Basketball. Matti listened intently and asked me why I would focus so much on the music club scene when I had this interesting social formation/social phenomenon in Indo-Pak Basketball. I also want to thank Janet Keller, Ellen Moodie, and Frank Lehman for the conversations I have had with them. Brenda Farnell has been such a source of joy within Anthropology for me. I have known Brenda as a professor, mentor, co-Diversity Committee Chair, ally, and friend. She allowed me space to articulate my project in a much more interesting manner when I took the vii ―Writing Ethno-histories‖ course with her; Brenda read carefully through each page and provided recommendations that have greatly helped with my work.

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