Copyright by Alix Andrew Chapman 2013 The Dissertation Committee for Alix Andrew Chapman Certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: THE BODY ROCKERS: NEW ORLEANS “SISSY” BOUNCE AND THE POLITICS OF DISPLACEMENT Committee: Christen Smith, Supervisor Edmund T. Gordon João H. Costa Vargas Jafari S. Allen Omi Osun Joni L. Jones Lyndon Gill THE BODY ROCKERS: NEW ORLEANS “SISSY” BOUNCE & THE POLITICS OF DISPLACEMENT by Alix Andrew Chapman, B.S. Psy.; M.A. Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Texas at Austin December 2013 Dedication To Velmer and Joseph Alix. Acknowledgements My journey in higher education began sixteen years ago at a small community college down the street from my high school in Yakima, WA. I was disappointed that rather than immediately embarking on a course of study and adventure at some prestigious research school, as some of my friends had, I should find myself walking to school a few blocks from my Dad’s house. Nevertheless, those small steps have led me down a winding path in the pursuit of knowledge, within and outside the academy. Small town kid that I am, I never could have imagined the people, places, and events waiting for me, and that have contributed to my personal growth. There are most certainly too many to name here but I will do my best to acknowledge a few. As I do so I am reminded of one of this dissertations primary objectives: describing the power and stakes of memory in (re)producing personal and communal knowledge. Blame my head and not my heart if I miss you in these pages, because you are certainly in my heart and in my thoughts. Thank you everyone for being a part of them. First, I have to thank you Jafari Sinclaire Allen for taking an interest in an oddball black queer kid. Even before we met in person and I was accepted to the Department of Anthropology at the University of Texas at Austin you spent a year guiding me and providing me mentorship. I was not aware of the possibilities of study available to me, or the extent to which my personal and political ideals could be taken up in my teaching or research until we met. You not only showed me the extent to which I could further my education but you have also shared your friendships, home, and other resources in support and care of me. I hope you are aware of how much you have not only changed my life but my families. v I am grateful to my entire dissertation committee who gave me their time and support throughout the years. I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to Christen Smith, Joao H. Costa Vargas, Omi Joni L. Jones, Lyndon Gill, and Edmund T. Gordon. I also must acknowledge the mentorship and support of Hameed S. (Herukhuti) Williams, who was not on my committee but whose generosity and advising deeply influenced the writing of this dissertation. Thank you for believing in me and this project. In addition to my committee, other teachers and University of Texas faculty and staff contributed greatly to my wellbeing and studies including Maria Franklin, Pauline Strong, Jemima Pierre, Kathleen Stewart, Matt Richardson, Adriana Dingman, Rolee Rios, Stephanie Lang, Suzanne Seriff, and Allison Skerrett. Since my first day at the University of Texas the Center for African and African Diaspora Studies has provided me support, early funding for preliminary research and professional development, and most of all a home away from home. Thank you to the Department of Anthropology and the Department of African and African Diaspora Studies staff and faculty for your hard work. I would have never seen my way through this process with its highs and lows without the support of my cohort and other classmates. I will never forget the years of debate, dreaming, tears, and laughter I have shared with my peers. My special thanks go to Juli Grigsby, Jaime Alves, Gwendolyn Ferreti Manjarrez, Saikat Maitra, Amy Brown, Naomi Reed, Nidra Lee, Hafeez Jamali, Jenny Carlson, Tane Ward, Maryam Kashani, Lisa Schergen, Erica Lies, Nick Copeland, Mohan Ambikaipaker, Mitsy Chanel Blot, Takkara Brunson, Jason Cato, Raquel de Souza, Sonia dos Santos, Lidia Marte, Melissa Forbis, Emily Lynch, Pablo Gonzalez, Luciane O. Rocha, Sarah Ihmoud, Luciani Rocha, Jamahn Lee, Monique H. Ribeiro, Christopher Loperena, Elvia Mendoza, Mariana Mora, Roger Reeves, Mubbashir Rizvi, Damien Schnyder, Lynn Selby, Raja Swamy, Roberto vi Flotte, Scott Webel and Shaka McGlotten. I have to give my love and gratitude to Celeste Henery and Courtney D. Morris for years of feedback, editing, and encouragement. There is a much larger network of mentors, students, artists, and activists spread throughout three continents that have contributed to my development and this project. Thank you to my friends and the collectives that have come and gone throughout Austin including everyone at ALLGO, Wura Ogunji, Sharon Bridgeforth, Ana-Maruine Lara, Las Krudas, Buscando El Monte, Beth Ferguson, Sachi Decou, Teo Blake, Juanki, Leslie McGuiness, Risa Puleo, Rudy Mendez, Monkey Wrench Books, the Rhizome Collective, Entropy, and the Orun Center. I decided to enter graduate school inspired by a need to speak to many of the public performances and activism I was involved in while living in Washington State. I would like to thank my friends, comrades, and accomplices formerly of Luscious Studios, the King Street Collective, and the Infernal Noise Brigade. I will never forget the inspiration and encouragement of long time Washington friends Grey Filastine, Rob Kunz, Pol Rosenthal, DK Pan, Davida Ingram, Alice Coil, Luziminda Carpernter, Rahwa Habte, and Horace Alexander Young. You have all filled my life with wonder and sincerity, while pushing the limits of art and politics. I have to thank New Orleans in so many ways. Thank you to the Bounce artists and extended network of local club goers, activists, and audience members who made this work possible. My most sincerest gratitude to Big Freedia who first inspired me with your boldness and self-determination. Thank you to the artistry and performances of Sissy Nobby, Vockah Redu and the Cru, Katey Red, and the memory of Renetta Yemika Lowe-Bridgewater aka Magnolia Shorty. I would like to thank Randi Sylve, Maurice Constantine, and Mark Johnson of Brotherhood Inc., New Orleans Critical Resistance, and everyone at the Community Book Center of New Orleans. An incredible network of friends provided me insight and support throughout my time in New Orleans including vii Mayaba Libenthal, Victor Pizarro, Janick Lewis, Eric Carter, Kate Paxton, Shana Griffin, Alison Fensterstock, Brice White, Fari Nzinga, Asher and Mary Kate Strunk, Melany Grace Lawrence, and Geraldine Hall. I am grateful to the trace and memory of my ancestors in New Orleans who nurtured and guided me through this work. Finally, I want to thank all of my family who continuously inspire me. To my parents Debra A. McBride Chapman and Wayman Chapman who each in their own way have encouraged me to work hard and dream big. None of my Grandparents or Great- Grandparents could live to see this day but have always led me to seek justice, beauty, and knowledge; I miss you all and want my entire extended family to know this accomplishment is ours. To my big sister Shondea Chapman, who I continue to learn from and grow with, thank you for always reminding me how far we have come. For my nieces Olaniya Marie Smith and Leandra Cox, I love you both and thank you for keeping Uncle in your prayers and thoughts. Austin, TX December 2013 viii THE BODY ROCKERS: NEW ORLEANS “SISSY” BOUNCE & THE POLITICS OF DISPLACEMENT Alix Andrew Chapman, Ph.D. The University of Texas at Austin, 2013 Supervisor: Christen Smith This dissertation in an ethnographic analysis of the ways in which black cultural performance is mobilized to produce and maintain social relationships and space in times of economic and sociocultural displacement. New Orleans Bounce music is a dynamic cultural performance of locality and blackness that prompts conflicting debates about the meaning of identity, place, and cultural heritage in “post-Katrina” New Orleans. Focusing on “Sissy” Bounce, an emergent subgenre defined by sexuality and gender, I investigate its significance as an expression of blackness marked by deviance within the socio- historical context of "post-Katrina" New Orleans. Specifically, the project frames “Sissy” Bounce as a cultural medium for the production of black space in a time of crisis, and argues that Bounce's symbolic form frames "queerness" as a tool of survival for young black people facing the politics of displacement, disorientation, and disaster. The quick rise of Bounce to national popularity has made it representational of the deviant black dancing body within the national imagination. Consequently, this dissertation also asks how these dances and representations effect meanings of blackness at home and throughout the nation? What does the resonance of “Sissy” Bounce in New Orleans and among its diaspora tell us about the political significance of queerness and displacement as nodal points of the contemporary black experience in the United States? The “Sissy” ix Bounce music scene’s ubiquity points to the resilience of black people living on the margins of family, community, and nation. x Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction……………………………………………………………………1 Defining Bounce…………………….….…………………………….…………...8 A Spotlight on “Sissy” Bounce……..……………………………………...…….11