The North American Folk Music Revival: Nation and Identity in the United States and Canada, 1945–1980

Gillian MitchellMusic
The North American Folk Music Revival: Nation and Identity in the United States and Canada, 1945–1980

Author: Gillian Mitchell

Publisher: Routledge

ISBN: 9781317022503

Category: Music

Page: 232

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This work represents the first comparative study of the folk revival movement in Anglophone Canada and the United States and combines this with discussion of the way folk music intersected with, and was structured by, conceptions of national affinity and national identity. Based on original archival research carried out principally in Toronto, Washington and Ottawa, it is a thematic, rather than general, study of the movement which has been influenced by various academic disciplines, including history, musicology and folklore. Dr Gillian Mitchell begins with an introduction that provides vital context for the subject by tracing the development of the idea of 'the folk', folklore and folk music since the nineteenth century, and how that idea has been applied in the North American context, before going on to examine links forged by folksong collectors, artists and musicians between folk music and national identity during the early twentieth century. With the 'boom' of the revival in the early sixties came the ways in which the movement in both countries proudly promoted a vision of nation that was inclusive, pluralistic and eclectic. It was a vision which proved compatible with both Canada and America, enabling both countries to explore a diversity of music without exclusiveness or narrowness of focus. It was also closely linked to the idealism of the grassroots political movements of the early 1960s, such as integrationist civil rights, and the early student movement. After 1965 this inclusive vision of nation in folk music began to wane. While the celebrations of the Centennial in Canada led to a re-emphasis on the 'Canadianness' of Canadian folk music, the turbulent events in the United States led many ex-revivalists to turn away from politics and embrace new identities as introspective singer-songwriters. Many of those who remained interested in traditional folk music styles, such as Celtic or Klezmer music, tended to be very insular and conservative in their approach, rather than linking their chosen genre to a wider world of folk music; however, more recent attempts at 'fusion' or 'world' music suggest a return to the eclectic spirit of the 1960s folk revival. Thus, from 1945 to 1980, folk music in Canada and America experienced an evolving and complex relationship with the concepts of nation and national identity. Students will find the book useful as an introduction, not only to key themes in the folk revival, but also to concepts in the study of national identity and to topics in American and Canadian cultural history. Academic specialists will encounter an alternative perspective from the more general, broad approach offered by earlier histories of the folk revival movement.

Native American Nationalism and Nation Re-building

Simone PoliandriSocial Science
Native American Nationalism and Nation Re-building

Author: Simone Poliandri

Publisher: State University of New York Press

ISBN: 9781438460703

Category: Social Science

Page: 224

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Presents an interdisciplinary analysis of the recent developments of Native American nationalism and nationhood in the United States and Canada. Bringing together perspectives from a variety of disciplines, this book provides an interdisciplinary approach to the emerging discussion on Indigenous nationhood. The contributors argue for the centrality of nationhood and nation building in molding and, concurrently, blending the political, social, economic, and cultural strategies toward Native American self-definitions and self-determination. Included among the common themes is the significance of space—conceived both as traditional territory and colonial reservation—in the current construction of Native national identity. Whether related to historical memory and the narrativization of peoplehood, the temporality of indigenous claims to sovereignty, or the demarcation of successful financial assets as cultural and social emblems of indigenous space, territory constitutes an inalienable and necessary element connecting Native American peoplehood and nationhood. The creation and maintenance of Native American national identity have also overcome structural territorial impediments and may benefit from the inclusivity of citizenship rather than the exclusivity of ethnicity. In all cases, the political effectiveness of nationhood in promoting and sustaining sovereignty presupposes Native full participation in and control over economic development, the formation of historical narrative and memory, the definition of legality, and governance. Simone Poliandri is Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Bridgewater State University and author of First Nations, Identity, and Reserve Life: The Mi’kmaq of Nova Scotia.

Ayad Akhtar, the American Nation, and Its Others after 9/11

Lopamudra BasuLiterary Criticism
Ayad Akhtar, the American Nation, and Its Others after 9/11

Author: Lopamudra Basu

Publisher: Lexington Books

ISBN: 9781498558259

Category: Literary Criticism

Page: 206

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This book studies the creative works of Ayad Akhtar in the context of a post-9/11 American culture rife with the racialization of Muslims. It explores controversies emerging from the reception of Akhtar’s works and focuses on their aesthetic dimensions to study their role in advocating for racial and gender equity.

Was America Founded as a Christian Nation?

John FeaReligion
Was America Founded as a Christian Nation?

Author: John Fea

Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press

ISBN: 9780664235048

Category: Religion

Page: 322

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Presents a historical overview of the relationship between the United States and Christianity and an analysis of the beliefs of such figures as Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and George Washington.