Florida State University Libraries Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School 2019 The Krickets: Gender and Agency in an ACailtlly-n GLigihrtlle Southern Folk Band Follow this and additional works at the DigiNole: FSU's Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected] FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES THE KRICKETS: GENDER AND AGENCY IN AN ALL-GIRL SOUTHERN FOLK BAND By CAITLYN LIGHTLE A Thesis submitted to the Department of Anthropology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts 2019 Caitlyn Lightle defended this thesis on April 5, 2019. The members of the supervisory committee were: Vincent Joos Professor Directing Thesis Kristin Dowell Committee Member Jayur Mehta Committee Member The Graduate School has verified and approved the above-named committee members, and certifies that the thesis has been approved in accordance with university requirements. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would first like to thank my thesis committee, Dr. Vincent Joos, Dr. Kristin Dowell, and Dr. Jayur Mehta at Florida State University. Thank you to all of you for your support when I told you I wanted to make a film and for your continued encouragement in this process. I would especially like to thank Dr. Kristin Dowell for making me a better filmmaker, and being as excited about this project as I was. She steered me in the right direction but always reminded me this was my project and my passion fueling it. I would also like to acknowledge the Department of Anthropology and the Department of Art History, specifically Dr. Kristin Dowell, who provided the equipment and support needed to create the accompanying film. As well, to my fellow graduate students who were supportive and helpful during the long process of fieldwork and who endured my need for feedback during the editing process. I would also like to thank the scholars whose work contributed to this project and the filmmakers who inspired it. I must also express my profound gratitude to my family and friends for providing me with unfailing support and continuous encouragement throughout my time in the Master’s program and through the process of researching, filming, editing, and writing this thesis. Finally, I have unending gratitude for the women without whom this project would not exist. To the women of The Krickets; Lauren Spring, Emily Stuckey, Katrina Kolb, Amanda Kolb, and Melissa Bowman, thank you for your incredible encouragement and trust. This accomplishment would not have been possible without you all. Thank you. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ............................................................................................................................................v 1. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................1 2. METHODS: FILM TREATMENT ............................................................................................4 3. LITERATURE REVIEW .........................................................................................................15 4. DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS .............................................................................................29 5. CONCLUSIONS .......................................................................................................................37 APPENDICES ...............................................................................................................................40 A. IRB EXEMPTION ....................................................................................................................40 B. VIDEO RELEASE FORMS .....................................................................................................41 C. FILM ONE SHEET ..................................................................................................................46 References ......................................................................................................................................47 Biographical Sketch .......................................................................................................................53 iv ABSTRACT This thesis examines the intersection between culture-based social structure and individual agency in all-girl Southern folk band The Krickets. By utilizing practice theory we are able to understand the relationship of the individual to their inherent social rules and then compensate for individual action opposing those rules. Through the action of musical performance The Krickets express their connection to a Southern culture and act against the cultural expectations of femininity therein. In studying The Krickets we can understand how notions of femininity, Southern culture, and folk music intersect to create their individual identities, which both adhere to and subvert their cultural structures. This thesis is also accompanied by a film entitled “The Krickets”, which follows the band while they write, record, and release their sophomore album. By utilizing video ethnography as a methodology and practicing ethical feminist approaches to anthropology we can understand how The Krickets grapple with concepts of cultural identity verses personal identity. v CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Problem Orientation: The aim of this thesis is to identify how all-girl band The Krickets, challenges so-called ‘traditional’ Southern gender roles through musical performance. This study will utilize practice theory, feminist theory, and documentary film ethics in order to represent the complexity of these women’s lives and understand how musical performance both represents their cultural structures of women’s roles while subverting them through the action of individual agency. The problem this project will focus on is how certain themes of gender, music, and notions of Southern culture function to create a social identity for this band. The analysis will endeavor to understand the dichotomy between cultural identity and individual identity and how The Krickets navigate these concepts. Not only can this research give insight into the niche area of Southern culture and music, but it can also provide an example of how these women interact with their culturally constructed ideas of what it means to be a woman in this era of fourth wave feminism (Munro 2013). This study will address how individual agency and social structure interact in these subjects. The importance of this study focuses on an application of ethnomusicological theory (Blacking 1974; Hood 1982; Merriam 1964), feminist theory (Abu-Lughod 1990; Butler 2011; Munro 2013; Rosaldo 1980; Walker 2001), practice theory (Bourdieu 1977; De Certeau 1998; Giddens 1979; Ortner 1984; Sahlins 2013), and film theory (Asch 1992; Columpar and Mayer 2009; Grimshaw 2001; Heider 2006; Loizos 1993; Pink 2007; Ruby 2000), in order to understand the construction of identity as it relates to music, gender, and the South. The reasons for this theoretical focus stem from postmodern approaches to identifying the voice of the subject and ensuring their accurate representation (Abu-Lughod 1992; Asch 1992; Clifford 1986). This study will shed a light on a population rarely viewed in anthropology, it will serve as insight into the connection between concepts of inherent cultural rules and individual control, and because it will encourage ethnographic film as thorough and ethical methodology in data collection. The 1 motifs and the theoretical approaches used to analyze this data will function together in order to create a complete study of an all-girl folk band and explain why this band is an appropriate example of women’s gendered identities and their expression in the music industry. A major part of the value of this research has to do with its focus on an all-girl band in the American South. The Krickets exemplify the topics this study will focus on—the band represents four women from rural Florida and Alabama who maintain feminine roles and gender identifications, play traditionally Southern folk music, and were brought up in culturally Southern homes. Rooted in place and culturally defined, these women serve as examples of the typical southern woman (Beaver 1988). At the same time however, they also subvert these ideals in their musical expression, which is a function of their individual agency and rejection of cultural norms. For the purposes of this project The Krickets have been selected as the sole case study. It is my belief as the ethnographer that this study can benefit more from a detailed analysis of one population that adheres well to the themes of the research project than to analyze multiple case studies that may not be wholly relevant to the themes at hand. Goals and Hypothesis: The central hypothesis of this research is that by studying an all-girl Southern folk band we can identify how culturally constructed gendered identities are both created and challenged in the action of musical performance. How do institutions like gender and cultural custom shape the creation of music? The goal of this work is to gain insight into the phenomenon of culture verses the individual and its application through music. How does the band represent themes of femininity, southern culture, and folk music in lyrics, instrumentation, and even in aspects of their personal lives? This research will determine more specifically the role of these motifs as structuring agents in the lives of these women. It is the conviction of this study that exploring