MUSIC, MIGRATION, AND POLITICS OF BELONGING: PERSIAN POPULAR MUSIC SCENES IN CALIFORNIA By SHABNAM GOLI A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2019 © 2019 Shabnam Goli To my soulmate, Alireza, whose endless love made this possible, and to our Liam who showed us a whole new face of love ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Completing this PhD would not be possible without the kind help of many individuals who dedicated their valuable time and support to the development of this research. I would like to thank the informants who participated in this study and/or helped me establish myself as a researcher and gain the trust of members of the Iranian community, particularly the musicians. I extend my greatest thanks to Andy Madadian, Shari Rezaee, Nazy Kaviani, Mohsen Namjoo, Shadi and Ardalan from Eendo band, Ardalan Sarfaraz, and Guita Banan. I am eternally grateful to the University of Florida School of Music and College of the Arts faculty and staff, in particular School Director, Kevin Orr who saw merit in my work and offered financial support for my graduate studies and academic travels over the past nearly eight years. I am also exteremly thankful to Laura Robertson, Leslie Odom, and Angela Williams whose gracious assistance made working remotely from California during the past three years possible. I would also like to thank University of Florida Office of Research for awarding me the doctoral research travel grant that provided me financial assitance in the final stages of the field research. The generous financial support enabled me to take fieldwork trips in California, attend a wide range of events and concerts, get involved with the community, and collect data. I am also forever thankful to Jeremy Frusco who said hi on the first day of school and became a brother over these years. Jeremy read hundred pages of my work and contributed to the development of this study with his critical questions. My deepest appreciation goes to my chief advisor, Larry Crook, who guided my intellectual growth during my graduate studies at the University of Florida. Professor Crook saw potential in me and offered me a chance to work hard for my dreams; an opportunity I had never been given before. His valuable feedback and constructive criticism empowered me to find my own voice and place in this research. I am perpetually thankful to him and will always do my 4 best to make him proud. I am also exteremly thankful to my doctoral committee members; Marit Ostebo who compassionately offered not only her scholarly but also emotional support during the hard stages of working on this study particularly after the Travel Ban and during my pregnancy. I would also like to thank Silvio dos Santos whose wisdom and critical comments along with his calmness and kindness set a role model for me in my academic life. Many thanks also go to Welson Tremura whose musicianship contributed to this study and my musical growth as a beginner singer with Jacare Brazil. Finally, I would love to extend my greatest gratitude to my best friend, Alireza Pourreza, whose contribution to this project (and my personal growth in general) has been enourmous. I am forever indebted to Alireza for believing in me and my ability to succeed and for encouraging me in the face of all hardships and failures. I am proud to be married to a person who is committed to the empowerment of not only his wife but all women. This PhD would remain a dream if it was not for his most passionate support and endless love. 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...............................................................................................................4 LIST OF TABLES ...........................................................................................................................8 LIST OF FIGURES .........................................................................................................................9 ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................................11 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................13 Review of Literature ...............................................................................................................22 Iranian Diaspora ..............................................................................................................22 Music and Migration .......................................................................................................24 Theoretical Framework ...........................................................................................................30 Identity .............................................................................................................................30 Music and Identity ...........................................................................................................31 Transnational Identity ......................................................................................................31 Ethnic Minorities, Migrants and Strategic Boundary Making ........................................33 Bourdieu’s Concept of Taste ...........................................................................................34 Diaspora, Music Scene and Musical Community ...........................................................35 Methodology ...........................................................................................................................37 The Metaphor of the Field: Fieldwork vs. Field Experience ...........................................39 Interviews and Conversations..........................................................................................42 Virtual fieldwork .............................................................................................................44 Performance as Research Technique ...............................................................................46 Musical and Textual Analysis .........................................................................................48 Methodological Obstacles ...............................................................................................49 Discourse Analysis ..........................................................................................................52 Significance and Contribution ................................................................................................54 Plan of Dissertation .................................................................................................................55 2 IRANIAN MIGRATION AND THE FORMATION OF A DIASPORA .............................57 Historical Background of the Iranian Migration.....................................................................57 Diaspora ..................................................................................................................................70 Transnationalism and Diaspora ..............................................................................................74 Conclusion ..............................................................................................................................84 3 IRANIAN POPULAR MUSIC SCENES IN EXILE .............................................................92 Theoretical Framework: Music Scene ....................................................................................95 Description of the Scenes: MLA and MM ...........................................................................101 6 Description of Mainstream (‘Musiqi-ye losanjelesi,’ MLA) Scene ..............................102 History of Persian Popular Music..................................................................................103 Persian Popular Music: Definition, Roots, Migration, and Transformations ................103 Description of the Alternative Music (Musiqi-ye Mostaghel, MM) Scene ...................113 Alternative Music as a Category ...................................................................................114 The Sound of Music: Genres, Styles, and Distinctions between the Scenes .................119 Commercialization, Commodification and the Notion of Autonomy ...........................122 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................124 4 ETHNICITY, IDENTITY AND POLITICS OF BELONGING IN US-BASED PERSIAN POPULAR MUSIC SCENES .............................................................................138 Musical Value and the Concept of Taste ..............................................................................143 Ethnic Boundary Making ......................................................................................................151 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................155 5 REQUIEMS FOR THE MOTHERLAND: NOSTALGIA, HOMELAND LONGING AND BELONGING IN EXILIC PERSIAN POPULAR MUSIC .......................................158 Nostalgia in Popular Culture ................................................................................................159 Nostalgia in Exilic Iranian Arts ............................................................................................160