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Poptimism is a school of contemporary popular music criticism characterized by its rejection of the notion of the “guilty pleasure” and traditions within rock journalism called “rockism.” Through an examination of poptimist writing, particularly Carl Wilson’s “Céline project” (which resulted in a book, Céline Dion’s Let’s Talk About Love: A Journey to the End of Taste) and material on musician Stephin Merritt’s comments at the Experience Music Project Pop Conference in 2006, trends emerge: efforts at combating elitism and promoting populism are belied by practices associated with high levels of cultural capital. These tendencies are examined from three angles. First, following Johan Fornäs, poptimist attitudes toward authenticity and reflexivity are considered. In their treatment of musical texts, poptimists reject rockist notions of authenticity while failing to account for consumers’ need for genuineness. Their grasp of reflexivity is greater when it comes to reception; Wilson’s project, an exercise in self-scrutiny for elitist bias via an attempt to appreciate the music of Céline Dion, shows the significance of reflexivity for poptimism. Second, poptimists’ approach to identity and difference is considered. Commentary on Merritt, who was accused of racism due to his admitted dislike of certain African-American artists and genres, is typical: oversimplified models of hegemony undermine deep concern about identity politics. Poptimists’ advocacy of omnivorous consumption as an anti-elitist strategy is flawed: using intellectual approaches and spurning the middlebrow are practices associated with high cultural capital. This strategy seems to lead to co-optation rather than real change. Third, poptimism’s relationship to value and emotion is analyzed. Poptimists have doubts about value judgments given traditional aesthetics’ hierarchical baggage, yet value judgments are critics’ raison d’être. Poptimism’s rejection of guilty pleasure and Wilson’s “guilty displeasure” concept link aesthetics to affect. Poptimists approach emotion inconsistently, embracing it when convenient but subjecting it to doubt and intellectualization when it seems to support elitism. Like many poptimist strategies, populist ideas motivate this approach, but it emulates hegemonic traditions. / text

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / English Studies / Master / Master of Arts

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This study is concerned with popular church music in Dar es Salaam and with changes in this music in relation to the concepts of temporality and spatiality. In part one, I argue that temporal change is experienced by human beings in relation to events or "stamps". Using selected stamps in the history of Tanzania from the 1980s to 2005, I discuss, on the one hand, how temporal events shaped various aspects of the music and people's experiences of the music and, on the other hand, how the music influenced people's experiences of various events and temporal rhythms. Various processes in the making ofpopular church music and various people involved in the creation of this music are considered to serve as stamps that mark the metamorphosis of the music. Likewise, the structural organization of the music and various musical elements imprint musical works and give them their identities thus causing them to be associated with other works that are organized in more or less similar ways. In part two, I use the theory of spatial trialectics to examine how popular church music is related to religious, national and gendered spaces. First, I discuss how the use of this music in religious spaces and the changes that have taken place in aspects of the music have been controversial, and I argue that the changes in the music led to changes in people's inner experiences of Christian spirituality. Second, I point out that the practice of African nationalism in this music has been aiming at liberating the national mental space through the use of traditional music materials and by addressing various national issues. The dynamics in this space involve the interaction between local and global music aesthetics. Third, I discuss the prominence ofwomen musicians in popular church music in recent years and the way in which this prominence has increased the focus on women's issues in the music. A close reading of selected songs reveals that individuals' experiences of gender problems are shaped by gendered mental space, which is informed by religious and other cultural norms. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2006.

During the mid-1930s, a tradition of music-making which drew its repertoire almost exclusively from the music of Indian films began among Indian South African ensembles in and around the city of Durban. This dissertation examines the ways in which the re-created music of Indian films served as a popular expressive medium for the majority of Indian South Africans in and around the city of Durban between 1930 and 1970. Unlike ethnomusicological and popular music studies that focus on musics which are generally both composed and performed by the same group of people, this study deals with a repertoire that was by and large imported directly from another geo- 'graphic, political, and social context: India. The study is based on the premise that the performance of music can serve as a valuable historical text, and it posits that the musical structures and performance practices of the ensembles under study encode vital information about shared socio-political experiences and the Indian South African identities that emerged during the period under discussion. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1999.

Brooklyn est depuis quelques années un épicentre de la musique indépendante aux États-Unis. En utilisant la démarche ethnographique, l’auteur s’intéresse au rôle des médiateurs dans la définition du réseau socio-musical de la scène « indie » de Brooklyn à New York. Il met en relief la façon dont historiquement, le quartier brooklynois de Williamsburg est devenu un lieu important d’établissement des Brooklyn est depuis quelques années un épicentre de la musique indépendante aux États-Unis. En utilisant la démarche ethnographique, l’auteur s’intéresse au rôle des médiateurs dans la définition du réseau socio-musical de la scène « indie » de Brooklyn à New York. Il met en relief la façon dont historiquement, le quartier brooklynois de Williamsburg est devenu un lieu important d’établissement des musiciens alternatifs. Il aborde la façon dont les hipsters, comme communauté, font appel à différentes pratiques pour contourner le rapport d’infériorité avec les étiquettes majors. Il s’intéresse aussi au « do it yourself » ainsi qu’au rôle de New York dans le milieu musical mondial. Finalement, il s’intéresse aux médias qui définissent et structurent le milieu de la musique indépendante de Brooklyn. / Over recent years, Brooklyn has become a global epicenter for the production of alternative popular music known as « indie music ». Using ethnographic methods, this thesis examines the role of mediators in the definition of the socio-musical network of the Brooklyn’s indie music scene in New York. It emphasizes the way in which, historically, Williamsburg has come to be an important neighboorhood for musicians and how hipsters, as a community, use different practices in order to manage a hegemonic relationship with the majors. At the center of this analysis is a discussion of the « do it yourself » ethic and the place of New York in the world, musically speaking. Finally, the way some medias define and structure the musical field is also of a part of the analysis.

Is local lekker? This study looks at the perceptions the youth in Durban hold towards local music. Through a study of the Grade 11 learners at Bonela Secondary, Gelofte Skool, Hillcrest High School, Thomas More College and Sastri College this research looks at how much support is offered for local music. It considers how much local music the respondents listen to, how much they purchase and how many local concerts they attend. This study also considers the mediathat the respondents are exposed to,in order to· discover if any correlation occurs between the media that they are exposed to and their perception of local music. The impact of globalization and cultural imperialism on the consumption of local music are also considered. In addition, the study looks at whether variables such as gender, school, "race" or the home language of the respondents impact on their support for local music. Both qualitative and quantitative data was collected. The respondents were required to respond to a questionnaire which elicited responses concerning their perceptions of local music, their support for local music and the media that they are exposed to. From the questionnaires a group of respondents of differing views, genders and home languages was selected to participate in a focus group interview. Results show that the respondents support very little in the way of local music, with regard to listening to local music, purchasing local music and supporting local concerts. They are exposed to a great deal of foreign material and do not have much exposure to local products. / Thesis (M.Mus.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2005.

本論文企圖探討流行音樂創作者的風格形塑歷程。以伍佰為例，針對他自1990年到台北流行音樂圈開始發展後，一路至今(2014)的歷程進行深度的觀察與分析。試圖建立對於創作風格的形塑與轉變，提供一個理論的觀點。討論：1. 流行音樂創作者的個人風格如何形成？ 2. 流行文化和個人風格的互動關係為何？3. 隨著社會或自身的改變，創作者的如何回應，不斷開創自身風格？ 流行音樂產業當中唱片業因為科技的改變而衰退，當今現場表演才是創作者和表演者的能展現風格的和售票獲利的真實場域。但創作者要怎麼樣才能擁有自己的「風格」？而在風格一詞的多義性，已經在各個領域展開，從描述人格、作品、髮型、聲音，甚至life style都翻譯成「生活風格」的時刻，風格到底是什麼？本研究試圖以生命故事的角度，以及現場的觀察，來深度描寫創作者的故事。並從故事中，探索伍佰何以風格獨俱，以及他在市場上屹立不搖二十多年的原因。 簡述個案分析結論如下。對流行音樂創作者而言，「個人風格」是生命(life)內容找到合適的美學形式(Form)後，所進行展演的一種身體能力。風格形成的歷程，就是「生命」與「形式」校準的過程。流行音樂創作者獨特的個人風格來自於真實的生命經驗，且需要透過個人在社會與流行文化中習得的美學形式才能進行展演。 而「模仿」是生命尋找形式的最初起點。當自主表達的慾望大過講求普遍性的社會壓力時，一個流行文化的模仿者，才能成為創作者，開始尋找個人風格。經由不斷「感知」流行文化中不符合「自我」的部分，而使「自我形象」浮現，進而拒絕某些創作元素，並且建立符合「自我形象」的品味和創作路線。透過多元的實驗，去感受各種創作元素更動所造成的差異，厚積「美學展演的實作能力」，才能創造性地實踐與流行文化有所區別的個人風格，進而取回對自己生命內容的詮釋權。而「個人風格的出現」與否，則可由流行音樂創作者對於同一作品的不同詮釋與演繹是否具有辨識度來進一步觀察。反之也能從創作者受他人模仿的呈現中，觀察其個人風格明顯之處。 隨著社會或自身的改變，作品必須要能夠真實反映創作者的生命，因此持續更新個人風格的要領，就在於能夠不斷「破壞自己原有的樣子」，避免「自我複製」，但同時仍以真實的生命經驗和敏銳觀察進行創作，才不會落入為破壞而破壞的陷阱，迷失自我。 / This paper attempts to explore the stylization of pop music singer-songwriter. Wu Bai is the case we study. By looking through his music journey since 1989, we try to discover the story behind his stylization. The research questions are (1) As a Pop Music Singer-Songwriter, how to have one’s own style.(2) What is the interaction between popular culture and personal style？(3)As time goes by, how does a creator change or renew his/her own style to respond to oneself and the market？ Summarized as follows: To have “personal style” means a pop music singer-songwriter is capable to find the suitable “form” for his own “life” in his performance. Therefore, we believe that personal style is a kind of physical ability. Stylization is the interaction of life and form. A unique personal style comes from one’s real life experiences, and the aesthetic form have to be learned from society and popular culture. It takes a lot of practice to build one’s way to present. “Imitation” is the starting point of stylization. When the desire for self-expression is greater than the universality from social pressure, imitators could become creators, embark on the journey to pursue personal style. To reject the part in popular culture which does not fit, so that self-image emerges. Once a creator get familiar with oneself, who can establish creative style which fit whose self-image. By feeling the difference between every creative element through practice, one can learn the practical skills of aesthetic performances. After this, one could have personal style that differ from popular culture, and retrieve the right to interpret one’s own life. Everything in life changes, the work must be able to reflect the real life of the creator. Therefore, the essentials of renewing one’s personal style are "destroy one’s original appearance," "avoid self-replicating", and” always remember who you are”, so one will not be lost in the forest of stylization.

My text formulates a theory of postmodern invisibility while examining the condition of cultural invisibility. As I track strategies of position and space in contemporary American literature and music, I propose a tactic for attaining cultural visibility that draws from Jean Baudrillard's notion of the-more-visible-than-the-visible, postmodern aesthetics and the cultural metaphor of the optics of the vision system.In our technoculture, Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man and his narrator's choice of an invisible identity, though wonderfully evocative, is no longer a viable solution to the dilemma of cultural invisibility. Later contemporary American fiction, especially Don DeLillo's White Noise, offers a strategy that oscillates between invisibility and visibility and is ineffective in curing cultural invisibility. My project centers on Leslie Marmon Silko's Ceremony and her representation of a storytelling ceremony that can cure the problem of cultural invisibility. Silko proposes a narrative mode capable of representing and accomplishing cultural work by reversing the flow of culture. Nathaniel Mackey's jazz-inspired fiction, Dibot Baghostus's Run (1993), expands Silko's magical blueprint by employing a culturally dense, hyper-visible narrative mode.Like Silko and Mackey, cultural theorist Trinh Minh-ha, anthropologist Michael Taussig, and sociologist Stephen Pfohl employ the more-visible-than-the-visible composition strategy of collage. Their writings, as well as the aesthetic of hiphop, serve as a model for my text because in collage, there is room for disorientation, noise, local elements, plurality, recomposition, hyper-visibility, and the sampling of crosscultural artifacts and debris. Experiencing a montage can shock sensory perceptions into novel paradigms of representation and, as Silko and Mackey hope, bring about a meaningful cultural visibility.For Minh-ha, Silko, and Mackey, stories and other cultural artifacts circulate freely like gifts. The pleasure is in transmitting, circulating, and retransmitting the story: the pleasure of making the story more-than-visible. Then the story functions, as Minh-ha states, "as a cure and a protection [that] is at once musical, historical, poetical, ethical, educational, magical." While my text strives to represent several of these elements, my theory of postmodern invisibility reflects and transmits a narrative mode that is capable of curing the problem of cultural invisibility. / Department of English