A Qualitative Study of Home, Happiness & Aging Amongst First

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

A Qualitative Study of Home, Happiness & Aging Amongst First University of Wisconsin Milwaukee UWM Digital Commons Theses and Dissertations May 2018 Experience as Counterpoint: A Qualitative Study of Home, Happiness & Aging Amongst First- generation South Asian Migrants in the U.S. Angela Singh University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.uwm.edu/etd Part of the English Language and Literature Commons, Other Medical Specialties Commons, and the Sociology Commons Recommended Citation Singh, Angela, "Experience as Counterpoint: A Qualitative Study of Home, Happiness & Aging Amongst First-generation South Asian Migrants in the U.S." (2018). Theses and Dissertations. 1918. https://dc.uwm.edu/etd/1918 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by UWM Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of UWM Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. EXPERIENCE AS COUNTERPOINT: A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF HOME, HAPPINESS & AGING AMONGST FIRST-GENERATION SOUTH ASIAN MIGRANTS IN THE U.S. by Angelee K. Singh A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in English at The University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee May 2018 ABSTRACT EXPERIENCE AS COUNTERPOINT: A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF HOME, HAPPINESS & AGING AMONGST FIRST-GENERATION SOUTH ASIAN MIGRANTS IN THE U.S. by Angelee K. Singh The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2018 Under the Supervision of Professor Kumkum Sangari Susan Stanford Friedman writes that “Home comes into being most powerfully when it is gone, lost, left behind, desired and imagined” (202). My dissertation addresses notions of home, nostalgia, happiness and aging often found in South Asian diasporic fiction, and from the results of a qualitative study I conducted in which I interviewed five migrant couples who moved to the US from India for educational and professional purposes in the 1960s and 1970s. This project draws on and contributes toward the fields of Migration and Diaspora Studies, Transnational Studies and South Asian Studies. My research aims to explore more uncommonly discussed issues pertaining to first-generation migrants such as the challenges they faced upon arriving in the US, her/his experiences adjusting to the US, and how the migrants in my study perceive and locate the idea of home. Moreover, my dissertation focuses on issues of happiness and (arranged) marriage as represented in the genre of “ladki-lit” and in what I call “generational fiction” as well as ideas on this topic as discussed in the narratives of the participants in my study. Finally, my dissertation explores aging and care in the transnational family and how the migrants, both in fiction and in my study, reconcile aging in a place that is now considered to be home. In doing this, I argue that the migrant figure, though often discussed as being nostalgic and “dwelling in displacement” is only one way of seeing the migrant, and that scholarship could benefit from ii exploring migrants as changing and transforming over the course of time. In my dissertation, I use the idea of counterpoint, a multiplying of ideas, to bring together the representations of South Asian migrants in fiction and the self-representations of the migrants I interviewed in order to see how these representations can work together to complicate and expand the understanding of first-generation South Asian migrants in the US. iii © Copyright by Angelee Singh, 2018 All Rights Reserved iv To my parents v TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements…………………………………………………………………………….viii Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………….1 1 Qualitative Research Methodology & Participants…………………………………….13 2 Writing Home in the Diaspora: (Re) Presenting the Not-so-Nostalgic Migrant……….31 3 Happiness as Counterpoint, Happiness as Explanation………………………………...72 4 Looking Ahead: Aging and Care in the Transnational Family………………………...122 In Conclusion: A Self-Reflection………………………………………………………………163 Bibliography……………………………………………………………………………………168 Curriculum Vitae……………………………………………………………………………….174 vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS It is with deep appreciation and gratitude that I thank my advisor and dissertation committee chair, Professor Kumkum Sangari, for her endless patience and support in my pursuit of this research. I am truly fortunate to have had Dr. Sangari’s encouragement, and I am grateful for her always pushing me to think beyond the borders of my mind, and for inspiring me with her work and her belief in my work. Our lengthy conversations about this project have inspired my work and I am very lucky to have had such insightful and caring guidance through this process. I would also like to thank my dissertation committee members, Professor Mary Louise Buley-Meissner and Professor Rachel Spilka. I greatly appreciate the guidance that Professor Buley-Meissner has provided me since I first decided to study English Literature as a young undergraduate student. Our conversations over coffee on the latest Bollywood films were the spring board from which this project took off. I am incredibly grateful for having met Professor Spilka when I did, as this project would not have been possible otherwise. When I thought there was no way to pursue this research, she took an interest and taught me how, and for that, I express my warmest appreciation. I thank Professor Gwynne Kennedy and Professor Chia Youyee Vang, for their thought- provoking suggestions and guidance over the years and for taking an interest in my project at its early stages and for so thoughtfully providing guidance as I move forward. I also thank Professor Jeff Williams and Professor Susan Stanford Friedman for inspiring me at the beginning of my graduate career. I am appreciative of UW-Milwaukee’s Department of English for providing me with the opportunity to pursue my research, and to my wonderful peers and friends who went through this process with me, providing me with a community dedicated to critical thought. To Lee Abbott, Megan Fiefer, Dalia Azmy and Suchi Banerjee, I am glad we did this together. To my dear friends, Katherine Anderson, Cameran Schneider, and Erich Scherr, I thank you for always being by my side, for believing in me and motivating me when this pursuit weighed on me, for being the ones who I escape to, and for being the ones I turn to during times of hardship. For always being my cheering section, I thank you. To Muhammad Bilal Ayub, watching you leave your homeland to build a second home in the US has helped inspire this research. Thank you for being my sounding board, for our many vii conversations on what it means to be a first generation migrant, and for believing that I am capable of so much. Your story, like the many stories reflected in this dissertation, is one of courage and ambition and I thank you for being there for me throughout this process. I am forever grateful to the participants of my study for their willingness to be a part of my study and for trusting me with their stories. I admire your strength and I thank you for contributing such profound insight, and for making this project so meaningful. It is my sincere hope that I have represented these stories in a way that reflects their value. To my older brother, Nisheeth, and my younger brother Ajay, and their beautiful families, I thank you for pushing me to reach my potential, for reminding me to be proud of myself and my accomplishments, and for showing me by example that hard work and dedication can result in achieving one’s goals and dreams. To my Pitaji, it is because of you that I felt I could pursue anything in the world and succeed. For teaching me Charles Dickens at a young age, for showing me that a scholar from a small village in India could know Shakespeare better than anyone I knew, and for whispering in my ear long ago that I was meant to do this, I am forever grateful for your belief in me. I miss you every day and I share this with you. And, to my parents, I never thought I could do this until I felt how much you both believed in me. I thank you for your never-ending support, for your patience, for the faith you’ve always had in me, for defying all odds and teaching me the value of hard work and love, and for your bravery and courage in moving to the US over 40 years ago. It is through this project that I finally understand. You were and always will be my inspiration, both for this research and in my life. Mom and Dad, this project is for you. viii INTRODUCTION As a daughter of first generation migrants from India, I first conceived this project as a way to rebel, a way to go against the grain of what I thought was commonly expected of second generation South Asian Americans and also, as a way to understand myself, and to reconcile the confusion that often comes with hybrid identities. This project began as an attempt to understand marriage in the South Asian diaspora as I was concurrently being shown resumes for potential husbands, fielding phone calls and emails from family regarding the timeliness of marriage, and being introduced to young suitors looking for a “good Indian wife.” In reading fiction written by South Asian diasporic authors, I looked for myself in the characters. I read the novels of popular authors such as Kavita Daswani, Amuylya Malladi, Anita Jain, Poonam Sharma, Anne Cherian and Advaita Kala, because at the time, they appeared at the top of many booklists for topics on marriage and the second generation South Asian American. And though, at times, I could relate to the generational tensions often depicted in novels of this genre, I found myself resisting at the same time.
Recommended publications
  • Updates & Amendments to the Great R&B Files
    Updates & Amendments to the Great R&B Files The R&B Pioneers Series edited by Claus Röhnisch from August 2019 – on with special thanks to Thomas Jarlvik The Great R&B Files - Updates & Amendments (page 1) John Lee Hooker Part II There are 12 books (plus a Part II-book on Hooker) in the R&B Pioneers Series. They are titled The Great R&B Files at http://www.rhythm-and- blues.info/ covering the history of Rhythm & Blues in its classic era (1940s, especially 1950s, and through to the 1960s). I myself have used the ”new covers” shown here for printouts on all volumes. If you prefer prints of the series, you only have to printout once, since the updates, amendments, corrections, and supplementary information, starting from August 2019, are published in this special extra volume, titled ”Updates & Amendments to the Great R&B Files” (book #13). The Great R&B Files - Updates & Amendments (page 2) The R&B Pioneer Series / CONTENTS / Updates & Amendments page 01 Top Rhythm & Blues Records – Hits from 30 Classic Years of R&B 6 02 The John Lee Hooker Session Discography 10 02B The World’s Greatest Blues Singer – John Lee Hooker 13 03 Those Hoodlum Friends – The Coasters 17 04 The Clown Princes of Rock and Roll: The Coasters 18 05 The Blues Giants of the 1950s – Twelve Great Legends 28 06 THE Top Ten Vocal Groups of the Golden ’50s – Rhythm & Blues Harmony 48 07 Ten Sepia Super Stars of Rock ’n’ Roll – Idols Making Music History 62 08 Transitions from Rhythm to Soul – Twelve Original Soul Icons 66 09 The True R&B Pioneers – Twelve Hit-Makers from the
    [Show full text]
  • The Funky Diaspora
    The Funky Diaspora: The Diffusion of Soul and Funk Music across The Caribbean and Latin America Thomas Fawcett XXVII Annual ILLASA Student Conference Feb. 1-3, 2007 Introduction In 1972, a British band made up of nine West Indian immigrants recorded a funk song infused with Caribbean percussion called “The Message.” The band was Cymande, whose members were born in Jamaica, Guyana, and St. Vincent before moving to England between 1958 and 1970.1 In 1973, a year after Cymande recorded “The Message,” the song was reworked by a Panamanian funk band called Los Fabulosos Festivales. The Festivales titled their fuzzed-out, guitar-heavy version “El Mensaje.” A year later the song was covered again, this time slowed down to a crawl and set to a reggae beat and performed by Jamaican singer Tinga Stewart. This example places soul and funk music in a global context and shows that songs were remade, reworked and reinvented across the African diaspora. It also raises issues of migration, language and the power of music to connect distinct communities of the African diaspora. Soul and funk music of the 1960s and 1970s is widely seen as belonging strictly in a U.S. context. This paper will argue that soul and funk music was actually a transnational and multilingual phenomenon that disseminated across Latin America, the Caribbean and beyond. Soul and funk was copied and reinvented in a wide array of Latin American and Caribbean countries including Brazil, Panama, Jamaica, Belize, Peru and the Bahamas. This paper will focus on the music of the U.S., Brazil, Panama and Jamaica while highlighting the political consciousness of soul and funk music.
    [Show full text]
  • Congressional Record United States Th of America PROCEEDINGS and DEBATES of the 115 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION
    E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 115 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION Vol. 163 WASHINGTON, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2017 No. 198 House of Representatives The House met at 10 a.m. and was Pennsylvania (Mr. THOMPSON) for 5 search will help farmers in the Com- called to order by the Speaker pro tem- minutes. monwealth of Pennsylvania better pro- pore (Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia). Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. tect their crops from bear-related dam- f Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowl- age. Pennsylvania has one of the larg- edge the work of a student at Penn est populations of black bears in North DESIGNATION OF SPEAKER PRO State DuBois. America, and thanks to studies like TEMPORE Alec Baker, a native of Clarion, Alec’s, the Commonwealth will be bet- The SPEAKER pro tempore laid be- Pennsylvania, is a student in the wild- ter able to understand how bears influ- fore the House the following commu- life technology degree program at Penn ence agriculture and how farmers can nication from the Speaker: State DuBois. He was recently awarded implement better management tactics WASHINGTON, DC, an Erickson Discovery Grant from to protect their crops. December 5, 2017. Penn State’s Office of Undergraduate I congratulate Alec for his achieve- I hereby appoint the Honorable JODY B. Education for an independent research ment and all those who received the HICE to act as Speaker pro tempore on this project. Erickson Discovery Award, and I look day.
    [Show full text]
  • The Politics of Soul Music
    UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations 1-1-2005 Soul shakedown: The politics of soul music Melanie Catherine Young University of Nevada, Las Vegas Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/rtds Repository Citation Young, Melanie Catherine, "Soul shakedown: The politics of soul music" (2005). UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations. 1917. http://dx.doi.org/10.25669/9hmc-nb38 This Thesis is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Scholarship@UNLV with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Thesis in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. This Thesis has been accepted for inclusion in UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Scholarship@UNLV. For more information, please contact [email protected]. SOUL SHAKEDOWN: THE POLITICS OF SOUL MUSIC by Melanie Catherine Young Bachelor of Arts University of Nevada, Las Vegas 1 9 9 9 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Arts Degree in Political Science Department of Political Science College of Liberal Arts Graduate College University of Nevada, Las Vegas December 2005 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 1435648 Copyright 2006 by Young, Melanie Catherine All rights reserved. INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted.
    [Show full text]
  • 2007/02/03 I'm a Rattlesnakin' Daddy / Blind Boy Fuller East Coast
    2007/02/03 I'm A Rattlesnakin' Daddy / Blind Boy Fuller East Coast Piedmont Style The Sun Didn't Shine / Golden Gate Quartet Swing Down, Chariot Mean Mistreater Blues / Tampa Red The Bluebird Recordings 1934-1936 One O' Clock Jump / Count Basie An Anthology of Big Band Swing (1930-1955) Choo Choo Ch' Boogie / Louis Jordan The Anthology 1938-1953 Caldonia / Louis Jordan The Anthology 1938-1953 Hound Dog / Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton There's a Riot Goin' On! - The Rock 'n' Roll Classics of Leiber & Stoller Bewildered / Amos Milburn One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer (box set) So Long / Charles Brown Charles Brown with Johnny Moore's Three Blazers Good Rocking Tonight / Wynonie Harris Good Rocking Tonight His Eye Is On The Sparrow / Mahalia Jackson The Essential Mahalia Jackson Sixty Minute Man / Billy Ward & The Dominoes Sixty Minute Man Crying In The Chapel / Orioles The Doo Wop Box: 101 Vocal Group Gems From The Golden Age of Rock 'N' Roll The Glory of Love / Five Keys The Doo Wop Box: 101 Vocal Group Gems From The Golden Age of Rock 'N' Roll One Mint Julep / The Clovers The Very Best of The Clovers Shake, Rattle & Roll / Big Joe Turner The Very Best of Big Joe Turner Work With Me Annie / Hank Ballard & The Midnighters Let 'em Roll Little Richard's Boogie / Little Richard The Best of Duke-Peacock Blues Tutti Frutti / Little Richard Here's Little Richard I'll Sail My Ship Alone / Moon Mullican All-Time Greatest Hits Harlem Nocturne / Earl Bostic Bill Doggett / Earl Bostic- Trading Licks Honky Tonk / Bill Doggett Bill Doggett / Earl Bostic-
    [Show full text]
  • Download a PDF of the Inventory B
    PUBLIC COLLECTORS Records Collection Inventory of: Marc Fischer Chicago, IL, USA About PUBLIC COLLECTORS Public Collectors consists of informal agreements where collectors allow the contents of their collection to be published and permit those who are curious to directly experience the objects in person. Participants must be willing to type up an inventory of their collection, provide a means of contact and share their collection with the public. Collectors can be based in any geographic location. Public Collectors is founded upon the concern that there are many types of cultural artifacts that public libraries, museums and other institutions and archives either do not collect or do not make freely accessible. Public Collectors asks individuals that have had the luxury to amass, organize, and inventory these materials to help reverse this lack by making their collections public. The purpose of this project is for large collections of materials to become accessible so that knowledge, ideas and expertise can be freely shared and exchanged. Public Collectors is not intended, nor should it be used for buying and selling objects. There are many preexisting venues for that. Collectors can accommodate viewers at whatever location is most com - fortable or convenient for them. If their collection is portable or can be viewed in a location other than the collector’s home, this would still be an appropriate way to participate in the project. In addition to hosting collection inventories and other information, www.publiccollectors.org includes digital collections that are suitable for web presentation, do not have a physical material analog, or are difficult or impossible to experience otherwise.
    [Show full text]
  • SEPTEMBER 1968 EDITORIAL TAKING CARE of OUR OWN This Last Month a .·Lot Has Happened a Revolutionary Identity
    HAIGHT STREET BLUES P. 3 20¢ WILDCATS IN CHICAGO P. 6 CUBAN POEMS, PHOTOS P. 8 photo by stephen Shames by Karen Wald Oakland, California -- him. Garry hammered not only at the Laughter broke out in the courtroom Garry aske:i, "How do I find a juror racial compositionbut the economic class at one point when Zeisel was asked by who is not racist to the extent that he OUtside the Alameda County Courthouse bias of the jury panel. disciplined Black Panthers, men and the somewhat disconcerted judge, "Do will prejudge a black defendant?" women, lead a demonstration of thou­ Expert Testimony you think white jurors would wrongfully The most feasible way" , Blauner testi­ sands. Free Huey! Set our warrior free! convict a Negro defendant?" Zeisel, who fied, "would be not to have whiteson the GarrY's pre-trial motions were based had been trying to avoid strong condemn­ jury." (Exactly what the Panthers and Inside the seventh floor courtroom sits Garry have argued from the beginning). Huey P. Newton, Ministe-r of Defense, on several days of expert testimony by ations and stick to clear evidence, said, charged with first-degre-e murder. But social scientists. Dr. Jan Dizard of U.C. " It's been rumored to have happened." If this was not done, Blauner suggested, even as Huey Newton sits in the court­ cited a study he had made of Oakland Zeisel's testimony on capital punish­ there might be ways to eliminate the most room, it is America on trial. and various national studies to indicate ment included a description of what has serious racists.
    [Show full text]
  • THE CULTURAL IMPACT of KANYE WEST This Page Intentionally Left Blank the Cultural Impact of Kanye West
    THE CULTURAL IMPACT OF KANYE WEST This page intentionally left blank The Cultural Impact of Kanye West Edited by Julius Bailey THE CULTURAL IMPACT OF KANYE WEST Copyright © Julius Bailey, 2014. Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2014 978-1-137-39581-8 All rights reserved. First published in 2014 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN® in the United States—a division of St. Martin’s Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010. Where this book is distributed in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world, this is by Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS. Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies and has companies and representatives throughout the world. Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries. ISBN 978-1-349-48439-3 ISBN 978-1-137-39582-5 (eBook) DOI 10.1057/9781137395825 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data The cultural impact of Kanye West / edited by Julius Bailey. pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. West, Kanye—Criticism and interpretation. 2. Rap (Music)— History and criticism. 3. Rap musicians—United States. I. Bailey, Julius, editor of compilation. ML420.W452C85 2014 782.421649092—dc23 2013036142 A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library. Design by Newgen Knowledge Works (P) Ltd., Chennai, India. First edition: March 2014 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 To all those whose complexities are misunderstood and rendered pathological when all you ever need and want is appreciation.
    [Show full text]
  • MUSI 302 Course Outline Spring 2018
    UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY FACULTY OF ARTS SCHOOL OF CREATIVE AND PERFORMING ARTS MUSI 302-01 Music in Popular CulturE: PErformErs (ThE Music and LifE of JamEs Brown) Spring 2018 Instructor Mr. John C. Reid Office Email [email protected] Office Hours By appointmEnt (no drop-ins please). Day(s),time(s) and Tuesday, Thursday: 6:00 to 8:45 p.m., May 14 to June 26, 2018. location of Class Craigie Hall, F 202. Out of class activities Learning resources: Text: The One: The Life and Music of James Brown by RJ Smith. required readings, textbooks and Listening songs in Spotify. List of recordings will be provided to students. materials Additional required readings noted in Schedule (below). Prerequisites Supplementary fees Course description This course will be an examination of the music, life, history, influence, and contributions of James Brown from his early life, early, middle, and late career, the highs and lows of his professional and personal life, through to his death in 2006. His music will be emphasized throughout. The objectives of this course are to develop students' listening skills, familiarize them with the details of James Brown's life in music, build understanding of the various musical styles and genres in which James Brown played a part, and to enable students to recognize key songs in Mr. Brown's repertoire. The course will make use of lectures, active listening, examining elements of music (such as melody, harmony, rhythm, form, syncopation, song lyrics, song construction, musical instrument roles, the genres of Blues, Soul, Rhythm and Blues, Funk, Gospel, Jazz, etc.), singing, clapping-tapping-and-snapping, small group discussion, making form charts, analyzing the 12 bar blues and other song forms, and watching films on the subject of James Brown and/or in which he appeared.
    [Show full text]
  • An Anthology of Literary and Art Work by Students from Charlottesville City Schools the Unfinished Jigsaw 2017–2018
    an anthology of literary and art work by students from Charlottesville City Schools The Unfinished Jigsaw 2017–2018 an anthology of literary and art work by students from Charlottesville City Schools Charlottesville City Schools 1562 Dairy Road Charlottesville, Virginia Cover Art: Luka Wimer CHS Grade 12 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Appreciation is expressed to our creative students, teachers, and all others whose contributions have made this anthology possible. Editor Aaron Eichorst, Fine Arts Coordinator Editorial Board Jen McGraw, CHS Susan Muse and Kristie Rush, Buford Carole Anderson and Jeff Smith, Walker Carol Busching, Burnley-Moran Ashley Riley, Clark Beth Easter, Greenbrier Ida Cummings, Jackson-Via Christine Esposito, Johnson Cindy Cartwright, Venable Art Teachers K–12 Jennifer Mildonian, CHS Rachel McLaughlin, CHS Sarah Sweet, CHS Rachel Wilson, CHS (Photography) Marcelle Van Yahres, BRJD Academic Program Desmond Cormier, Buford Samantha Pagni, Walker Ryan Trott, Burnley-Moran and Jackson-Via Evelyn Reid, Clark Angela Corpuz, Greenbrier Jocelyn Johnson, Johnson and Jackson-Via Melissa Combs, Jackson-Via and Venable Aaron Eichorst, ArtQuest Program Specialist Desktop Publishing Ellen Pitts Photography Rachel Wilson Editing/Layout Jeff Suling Ellen Pitts Rachael Inlow CHS Grade 12 This Book Just Ate My Dog Huck Storer Burnley-Moran Grade K (Book review) ou are going to like this book because it Y is funny! Books Jaxon Scott Buford Grade 8 Jackson-Via Grade 3 Pray Meh hen every book is opened, First Painting It starts a new adventure. Penelope Figueroa-Ray W A magical journey Johnson Grade 4 That comes in different forms. Explore a new land ne day I was watching my dad drawing a Without having to travel.
    [Show full text]
  • Political Commentary in Black Popular Music from Rhythm and Blues to Early Hip Hop
    MESSAGE IN THE MUSIC: POLITICAL COMMENTARY IN BLACK POPULAR MUSIC FROM RHYTHM AND BLUES TO EARLY HIP HOP James B. Stewart "Music is a powerful tool in the form of communication [that] can be used to assist in organizing communities." Gil Scott-Heron (1979) This essay examines the content of political commentaries in the lyrics of Rhythm and Blues (R & B) songs. It utilizes a broad definition of R & B that includes sub-genres such as Funk and "Psychedelic Soul." The investigation is intended, in part, to address persisting misinterpretations of the manner in which R & B influenced listeners' political engagement during the Civil Rights- Black Power Movement. The content of the messages in R & B lyrics is deconstructed to enable a fuller appreciation of how the creativity and imagery associated with the lyrics facilitated listeners' personal and collective political awareness and engagement. The broader objective of the essay is to establish a foundation for understanding the historical precedents and political implications of the music and lyrics of Hip Hop. For present purposes, political commentary is understood to consist of explicit or implicit descriptions or assessments of the social, economic, and political conditions of people of African descent, as well as the forces creating these conditions. These criteria deliberately exclude most R & B compositions because the vast majority of songs in this genre, similar to the Blues, focus on some aspect of male-female relationships.' This is not meant to imply that music examining male-female relationships is devoid of political implications; however, attention is restricted here to lyrics that address directly the relationship of African Americans to the larger American body politic.
    [Show full text]
  • Entire Issue (PDF 2MB)
    E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 115 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION Vol. 164 WASHINGTON, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2018 No. 24 House of Representatives The House met at 9 a.m. and was come forward and lead the House in the this Friday. I cannot think of an offi- called to order by the Speaker. Pledge of Allegiance. cer more deserving than Officer Sean f Mrs. MURPHY of Florida led the Gallagher, and I congratulate him for Pledge of Allegiance as follows: his heroism. PRAYER I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the The Chaplain, the Reverend Patrick United States of America, and to the Repub- f J. Conroy, offered the following prayer: lic for which it stands, one nation under God, Thank You, God, for giving us an- indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. CELEBRATING THE 325TH ANNI- other day. Please bless the Members of f VERSARY OF THE COLLEGE OF the people’s House and the men and ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE SPEAKER women of the Senate in these waning WILLIAM & MARY The SPEAKER. The Chair will enter- days of funding for the government. (Mrs. MURPHY of Florida asked and tain up to five requests for 1-minute May their efforts to find a workable was given permission to address the speeches on each side of the aisle. solution to difficult issues result in House for 1 minute and to revise and legislation that will redound to the f extend her remarks.) benefit of our Nation.
    [Show full text]