Thesis (Ph. D.)--Florida State University, 2005. / Advisors: Dr. Anita González, Florida State University, School of Theatre and Dr. Tricia Young, Florida State University, College of Visual Arts and Dance, Dept. of Dance. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed June 15, 2005). Document formatted into pages; contains vi, 312 pages. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (doctoral)--Johann Wolfgang von Goethe-Universität zu Frankfurt am Main. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 233-237).

Thesis (doctoral)--Johann Wolfgang von Goethe-Universität zu Frankfurt am Main. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 233-237).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2003. / Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages; contains xv, 238 p.; also includes music, graphics Includes bibliographical references (p. 218-238). Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center

Thesis (Ph. D.)--UCLA, 2008. / Vita. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 180-196).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--UCLA, 2008. / Vita. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 469-484) and discography (leaves 485-487).

No description available.

This dissertation pursues a study of independent film, from 1980 to 1999, as an emergent system of representation. Independent American and non- American films distributed in the United States have evolved into a distinct cultural site, formulated as points of intersection between principles of mainstream popular film and the traditions of the avant-garde. Contemporary independent film's identity as a commodity stresses its differences from Hollywood's output; the independent industry is not ruled by the same economic, political, aesthetic and historical imperatives as Hollywood cinema. Arguably, this creates an autonomous filmic enterprise able to represent alternative political views and aesthetic perspectives. But simultaneously, the independent industry is driven by familiar marketplace demands and competition for consumers. My study focuses on films released theatrically in the U.S. by nonstudio distributors, such as Miramax, Fine Line, Goldwyn, October, and so on. The films considered will have received some measure of widespread play, permitting an analysis of how these specific texts, their distribution, and their reception conform to and diverge from the institutional and discursive practices of a dominant Hollywood industry. The dissertation analyses both the material, concrete aspects and the discursive dimensions of independent film. For instance, under the purview of the independent industry a division exists between 'art films' and 'political films'. A frequent attribute of work in the art category is formal experimentation. Political films tend to be those made by representatives of subcultural groups and marketed as such to their 'specialised audiences'. They may or may not exhibit formal experimentation. On the one hand, in a kind of tyranny of the formal, art films continue to be defined by their aesthetic variations without a corollary questioning of whether they are indeed 'alternative' at the level of narrative signification. On the other hand, political films are promoted as an acknowledgment to underrepresented communities --- what the industry should be providing --- and as a marketing strategy for product-starved audiences to whom these films often sell well. In other words, political films may be chosen for their subject matter or for the audiences they specifically address, but they remain specialised, without the 'universal' appeal of films accorded the label of art. This investigation traces the extent to which and how independent films represent the stories, perspectives, and experiences of a pluralistic, multicultural society. This research project develops a discursively-based methodology in which films are analysed as the functions of multiple, simultaneous, layered, and interacting discourses: representational, institutional, interpretive, and cultural/historical. The study offers a contribution to the field in its exploration of contemporary independent film as a distinct cultural formation, in its expansion of theoretical work on narrativity and the representation of subcultural groups, in its development of discursive analytical procedures, and in its integrated approach towards cultural theory, cultural politics, and cultural production.

In “Sounds for Adventurous Listeners,” I argue that Conover’s role in the dissemination of jazz through the Music USA Jazz Hour was more influential on an educational level than what literature on Conover currently provides. Chapter 2 begins with an examination of current studies regarding the role of jazz in Cold War diplomacy, the sociopolitical implications of avant-garde jazz and race, the convergence of fandom and propaganda, the promoter as facilitator of musical trends, and the influence of international radio during the Cold War. In chapter 3 I introduce the Friends of Music USA Newsletter and explain its function as a record of overseas jazz reception and a document that cohered a global network of fans. I then focus on avant-garde debates of the 1960s and discuss Conover’s role overseas and in the United States. Chapter 4 engages social purpose and jazz criticism in the 1960s. I discuss Conover’s philosophy on social responsibility, and how his contributions intersected with other relevant discourses on race on the eve of the civil rights movement. I argue that Conover embodied two personas: one as jazz critic and promoter in the United States, and the other as an international intermediary. In chapter 5 I discuss how Conover presented the avant-garde to his overseas audience. I argue that through his efforts to broadcast jazz impartially, he legitimized avant-garde and emphasized its qualities as art music. In chapter 6 I explore fandom studies as they apply to the formation of Music USA as a global fan network. I discuss the early roots of Conover’s interest in science fiction fandom as a motivation for the implementation of the Friends of Music USA (FOMUSA) groups. Chapter 7 concludes in a discussion of the deification of Conover though the medium of radio in the midst of the Cold War. I argue that, through manipulation of sound resources, Conover composed his broadcasts in a way that allowed him to improvise creatively. Finally, I discuss the effect of a radio personality on crowds and the impact of Conover’s music programming in light of studies concerning deejays as objects of devotion.

L’étude de l’œuvre de Georges Mathieu, artiste controversé dont les activités s’étendent sur les décennies suivant la Seconde Guerre Mondiale, vise à éclairer un parcours méconnu afin de pouvoir l’intégrer de manière plus pertinente dans le champ de l’histoire de l’art contemporain. S’intéresser aux réseaux au sein desquels a gravité l’artiste permet de considérer globalement l’abstraction lyrique et de dessiner des relations complexes entre les différents acteurs des mondes de l’art. Les enjeux du contexte artistique des années 1950 sont ainsi mis en avant plus précisément, conduisant à l’identification de stratégies de promotion en partie basées sur les mythologies du geste créateur. Mathieu, élaborant son discours par anticipation de sa réception et se présentant comme une personnalité médiatique ambivalente, s’inscrit dans une dialectique inhérente de l’art à l’ère postmoderne : l’oscillation perpétuelle entre culture d’élite et culture de masse / The study of Georges Mathieu’s work, debated artist whose activities extend over the decades following the Second World War, aims at enlightening an unkown path to be able to integrate it in a more relevant way into the contemporary field of the art history. Be interested in the networks in which the artist gravitated allows to consider the lyrical abstraction overall and to draw complex connections between the various actors of the worlds of art. The stakes in the artistic context of the 1950s are so put forward more exactly, leading to the identification of strategies of promotion partially based on the mythologies of the creative gesture. Mathieu, developing his discourse by anticipation of his reception and appearing as an ambivalent media personality, fits into an inherent dialectic of the art in postmodern era : the constant swaying between culture of elite and mass culture