• About
    • Login
    View Item 
    •   Institutional Repository Home
    • Electronic Theses and Dissertations
    • Electronic Theses and Dissertations
    • View Item
    •   Institutional Repository Home
    • Electronic Theses and Dissertations
    • Electronic Theses and Dissertations
    • View Item
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

    Browse

    All of Institutional RepositoryCommunities & CollectionsBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsDepartmentThis CollectionBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsDepartment

    My Account

    LoginRegister

    Music for the People: The Folk Music Revival and American National Identity, 1930-1970

    Donaldson, Rachel Clare
    : https://etd.library.vanderbilt.edu/etd-03232011-085825
    http://hdl.handle.net/1803/11110
    : 2011-04-06

    Abstract

    This dissertation examines a strain of Americanism, rooted in the civic ideals of cultural pluralism and democracy, that developed shortly before World War I and continued throughout the twentieth century. Among the key advocates of this view were members of the folk music revival—musicians, public folklorists, and record producers, as well as musical entrepreneurs and enthusiasts—who worked to popularize this version of nationalism through folk music. The revivalists used the music of racial, regional, and ethnic groups to illustrate the inherent cultural diversity of the United States. By providing outlets for members of these communities to present their musical traditions to a national listening audience, the revivalists did not merely speak for these groups of citizens, but also enabled these citizens to speak for themselves. Is so doing, the revivalists helped lay the groundwork for the rise of multiculturalism that emerged in the 1970s. Furthermore, the revivalists sought to help these groups, many of which were politically, socially, and economically marginalized, gain access to the political process. Acting upon a perceived moral responsibility to ensure that the nation lived up to its democratic ideals led many revivalists into social programs associated with the political Left beginning during the Popular Front era of the 1930s and continuing through the early years of the New Left. Examining these activists’ motivations on a grassroots level reveals that the Old and New Lefts shared a similar faith in American democratic ideals and thus were far more ideologically connected than has been historically understood. In interpreting the revival leaders’ efforts over the course of the movement, I challenge the rigid divisions between the American Old and New Left, explain the long history of multiculturalism in the United States, and contribute to the broader understanding of how Americans have struggled to construct a national identity.
    Show full item record

    Files in this item

    Icon
    Name:
    FINALDISSERTATION.pdf
    Size:
    874.3Kb
    Format:
    PDF
    View/Open

    This item appears in the following collection(s):

    • Electronic Theses and Dissertations

    Connect with Vanderbilt Libraries

    Your Vanderbilt

    • Alumni
    • Current Students
    • Faculty & Staff
    • International Students
    • Media
    • Parents & Family
    • Prospective Students
    • Researchers
    • Sports Fans
    • Visitors & Neighbors

    Support the Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries

    Support the Library...Give Now

    Gifts to the Libraries support the learning and research needs of the entire Vanderbilt community. Learn more about giving to the Libraries.

    Become a Friend of the Libraries

    Quick Links

    • Hours
    • About
    • Employment
    • Staff Directory
    • Accessibility Services
    • Contact
    • Vanderbilt Home
    • Privacy Policy