Duquesne University Duquesne Scholarship Collection Electronic Theses and Dissertations Summer 8-10-2019 Staging Intersectionality: Power and Performance in American Cultural Texts, 1855-2019 Alexandra Reznik Follow this and additional works at: https://dsc.duq.edu/etd Part of the American Popular Culture Commons Recommended Citation Reznik, A. (2019). Staging Intersectionality: Power and Performance in American Cultural Texts, 1855-2019 (Doctoral dissertation, Duquesne University). Retrieved from https://dsc.duq.edu/etd/1821 This One-year Embargo is brought to you for free and open access by Duquesne Scholarship Collection. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Duquesne Scholarship Collection. STAGING INTERSECTIONALITY: POWER AND PERFORMANCE IN AMERICAN CULTURAL TEXTS, 1855- 2019 A Dissertation Presented to the McAnulty College of Liberal Arts Duquesne University As partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy By Alexandra B. Reznik August 2019 Copyright by Alexandra B. Reznik 2019 STAGING INTERSECTIONALITY: POWER AND PERFORMANCE IN AMERICAN CULTURAL TEXTS, 1855- 2019 By Alexandra B. Reznik Approved May 6, 2019 _____________________________________ _____________________________________ Kathy Glass Faith Barrett Professor of English Associate Professor of English (Committee Chair) Director of the Center for Women’s and Gender Studies (Committee Member) ____________________________________ Laura Engel Professor of English (Committee Member) _____________________________________ _____________________________________ James Swindal Greg Barnhisel Dean, McAnulty College of Liberal Arts Chair, Department of English Professor of Philosophy Professor of English iii ABSTRACT STAGING INTERSECTIONALITY: POWER AND PERFORMANCE IN AMERICAN CULTURAL TEXTS, 1855- 2019 By Alexandra B. Reznik August 2019 Dissertation supervised by Professor Kathy Glass This study explores a diverse array of cultural texts, from literary representations to live performances, from the antebellum period to the contemporary moment, that highlight African- American women singer-celebrities navigating entertainment industries in the United States. Focusing on significant figures from the nineteenth century to the present including Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield (the first prominently known Black woman singer in the antebellum period), Pauline Hopkins (the late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century novelist and soprano), Sissieretta Jones (a twentieth-century soprano singer), and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter (a contemporary singer-celebrity, songwriter, and producer), this study re-imagines the archive of Black singer-celebrities by centering Black women’s performances and voices to illuminate the diverse, nuanced representations of resistance and empowerment that Black women and singers enact, thus charting a new, nuanced historical trajectory of the development of Black women iv celebrities in American culture. I argue their multifaceted representations in various archives, from historical biographies and legal documents to social media and streaming services, provide ways of understanding the complex relationships between body and voice, performance, and social justice. Building on the research of Uri McMillan, Daphne Brooks, Carla L. Peterson, and Nell Irvin Painter, who analyze African-American women’s creative resistance to systems of white supremacy and sexism, this project extends ongoing scholarly conversations in literary, musicological, and historical studies to develop a praxis of staging intersectionality: intentionally using various materials including song lyrics, photographs, letters, poetry, fiction, and non- fiction by and about African-American women singer-celebrities, to enrich and correct historical and popular cultural representations, and imagine new ways to approach American and celebrity studies. v DEDICATION For the passionate learners who’ve been and will be told “no.” Do it anyway. Manifest your “yes” into existence. vi ACKNOWLEDGMENT Infinite gratitude to my dissertation director and mentor Dr. Kathy Glass. Throughout graduate school, you’ve shared and encouraged me to pursue so many opportunities including writing for the ESQ: Journal of the American Renaissance “Year in Conferences” feature and for The Western Journal of Black Studies, joining the Racial Equality Social Justice Seminar, and confidently pursuing the job market. Yours and Brent’s generosity in running practice interviews with me (even on Langston’s birthday!) is a testament to your dedication and brilliance. Thank you for always reminding me to enjoy the process and be myself. Dr. Faith Barrett, thank you for introducing me to the worlds of Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield, Nineteenth-Century Women’s Writers Group, and Women and Gender Studies coordination. Dr. Laura Engel, thank you for throughout my time at Duquesne encouraging me to unapologetically embrace my passion for pop culture and celebrity studies. Dr. Greg Barnhisel, thank you for putting on your “journal-editor and book-editor hat,” for believing in me, and for challenging me. Dr. Emad Mirmotahari, thank you for your co-teaching experience, and for treating me as a colleague from day one and throughout my time at Duquesne. Linda Kinnahan and Dr. Tom Kinnahan, I’ve enjoyed the amazing opportunities and insights you’ve shared with me. Dr. Danielle St. Hilaire and Dr. Sarah Breckenridge-Wright, thank you for your guidance and support throughout my time at Duquesne. Thank you, Dr. Thomas Smith, for helping me embrace everything about my graduate school journey. I’m also grateful for the far-reaching community of Dr. George Yancy, Dr. Marlowe Daly-Galeano, Dr. James Van Wyck, and Dr. Amy Smith for their guidance and encouragement in my publishing efforts. Huge thanks to the incomparable Chatham community including Dr. Anissa Wardi, Dr. William Lenz, Dr. Lynne Bruckner, and Dr. Prajna Parasher who made my transition into graduate school so seamless, and who are now making my transition into the professorship so empowering. My dear community of Duquesne colleagues were essential in learning to embrace this process, even and especially when the process was a struggle. Thank you for our all-encompassing lunch dates and for being a phenomenal human, Mary Parish. Thank you for your careful and genuine mentorship, and for believing in me, Emily Rutter. Thank you, Jill Leontiadis, for your unapologetically kind and open heart and brilliant mind. Erin Rentschler, and your Center for Teaching Excellence team, thank you for your generosity and support. Thank you, Marissa Mosley, for teaching me more than I could ever hope to offer as a mentor. Thank you, Marla Anzalone, Josie Rush, and Cheryl Read, for your marvelous camaraderie. Megan Toomer, Andrei Antonescu, Anthony Ergen, and Dani Baslan, thank you for geeking out over Beyoncé with me. Your perspectives have infinitely helped me to grow as an aspiring scholar-teacher. This journey wouldn’t have been the same without the beloved Word and Music Association Forum community. Giulia Mascoli, thank you for waving at me within the first moments I arrived at the Aarhus conference, for collaborating to revise our first articles together, and for meeting up in Nashville and New York City to continue sharing our work. Thank you, Emily Petermann, for being so generous and kind, and for co-organizing a kickass MLA panel. Thank you, Thomas Gürke, Tom Smith, Ivan Delazari, and Heidi Hart for sharing your brilliance and friendship. I’m honored to collaborate with each of you. vii I’m grateful for not receiving a writing fellowship during my fifth year, which turned out to be one of the best things that could have ever happened. I found community in the phenomenal Girls Write Pittsburgh team (thank you Viv Lee Croft, Anne Marie Ellison Miller, Cheryl Werber, Sheena Carroll, and Amy Marvel) who awakened my childhood passion for creative writing. I had the unique opportunity to process my pain and success by teaching a course that focused on Beyoncé’s Lemonade at Chatham University. I joined the inspiring community of American Association for Colleges and Universities as a K. Patricia Cross Future Leader. Immense thanks to Lee Knefelkamp, Suzanne Hyers, Lynn Pasquerella, Kathryn Campbell, and my ridiculously awesome cohort members. I am also grateful for receiving a writing fellowship during my sixth year. Turning lemons into lemonade allowed me to confidently finish my project, navigate the job market, and continue pursuing my creative projects, specifically with the Madwoman in the Attic community and my fearless mentor, Liane Norman. Looking back on the challenges I’ve faced and triumphs I’ve worked towards, I’m grateful and proud that this path is and continues to be mine. Many thanks to my family, specifically my parents, grandparents, brothers, and sisters for their support. Thank you for the bahn mi and venting dates, Fral. All the thanks in the universe to my perfect little family, Jenn and Tulip. As The Zombies remind us, “This will be our year, took a long time to come.” Thank you for your support, encouragement, and for believing in me when I didn’t. We slay. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………………...iv Dedication ………………………………………………………………………………………..vi Acknowledgments……………………..………………………………………………………...vii Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………...…...1 Chapter 1: Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield…………………………………………….……………30 Chapter 2: Pauline E. Hopkins &