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Thibodeau thesis final.pdf (48.71 MB)

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Anti-colonial Resistance and Indigenous Identity in North American Heavy Metal

Thibodeau, Anthony
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1395606419

Abstract Details

2014, Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, Popular Culture.
Music and art can resist social structures that remain rooted in colonial power. The research presented in this study investigates themes of anti-colonial resistance and indigenous cultural identity expressed through heavy metal music by Native artists from several regions of North America. This research relies on the analysis of commercially available recordings by heavy metal bands, as well as album artwork, online media and the discourse surrounding the work of the artists, examining the use of indigenous markers and practices of aesthetic construction. An important methodological component of this project is ethnographic data collection consisting of participant observation at performances in a variety of venues, as well as semi-structured interviews with band members. The primary objective of this project is to examine the work of a range of bands and artists that identify themselves as Native or indigenous to establish a clear understanding of how their music may or may not express anti-colonial resistance or cultural identity, and the extent to which these expressions are communicated through sonic and visual markers or signifiers. This study shows that indigenous identity cannot be easily categorized, and is expressed in diverse ways within the scope of Native popular music. While some Native metal artists are inclined to use sonic markers and aesthetic construction to proclaim their indigeneity in their music, others prefer to avoid these devices and rely on other facets of their lives to affirm a Native identity. While this study contributes to the body of scholarship regarding indigenous identity in contemporary media, the interpretations and conclusions also benefit the broader disciplines of popular culture, post-colonial studies, and the emerging field of metal studies by examining the self-representation of a marginalized group in a specific genre of popular music.
Jeremy Wallach (Advisor)
Esther Clinton (Committee Member)
Kristen Rudisill (Committee Member)
128 p.
American Studies; Cultural Anthropology; Hispanic American Studies; Music; Native American Studies; Native Americans
Popular Music; Popular Culture; Native American studies; Indigenous Studies; Post-colonial Studies; Metal Studies; heavy metal; punk rock; Mexica Movement; resistance; indigenous identity; American Indian; Chicano Studies; Gathering of Nations Powwow

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Thibodeau, A. (2014). Anti-colonial Resistance and Indigenous Identity in North American Heavy Metal [Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1395606419

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Thibodeau, Anthony. Anti-colonial Resistance and Indigenous Identity in North American Heavy Metal. 2014. Bowling Green State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1395606419.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Thibodeau, Anthony. "Anti-colonial Resistance and Indigenous Identity in North American Heavy Metal." Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University, 2014. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1395606419

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

bgsu1395606419
1,388
© 2014, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Bowling Green State University and OhioLINK.