American culture writing work

As you will see, this module does not cover “rock” in any comprehensive sense; rather, it focuses on a very specific case study, which is the Riot Grrrl movement of the 1990s. We examine this movement because it is key for understanding certain dynamics in popular music: 1) the coincidence of sound and the social construction of gender, 2) the way that popular music discourse can implicitly gender certain sounds, and 3) recent shifts in the way that feminism figures into popular music.

In the first topic, we will learn about the Riot Grrrl movement in terms of its sound, politics, and history. In the second topic, we will learn about "rockism" and "poptimism", two broadly identifiable attitudes to popular music that are gendered in different ways. Finally, between the two topics, we will consider what kinds of feminisms we see in popular music today, and how these have shifted since the days of the Riot Grrrl movement. 

After this module, you should be able to:

Articulate the connection between Riot Grrrl sounds and Riot Grrrl politics.

Situate the above in relation to other versions of rock music.

Describe the difference between "rockism" and "poptimism". 

Consider different ideas of feminism in popular music. 

Topic 1: Riot Grrrl Rock

As you have seen by listening to Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the history of rock and roll is a diverse one, in which sounds that have now been codified and sectioned off from one another mixed more loosely. That is to say, before we had invented the language to designate and identify "rock and roll", the sounds that we would now consider to belong to rock mixed with other genres (the blues, most specifically, itself a hybrid form). But by the 1970s, rock had become coded as a white male genre, largely through the kinds of historical erasures that have elevated figures like Elvis over and above the Black men and women who inspired him. It is in response to this kind of white-male rock that, in the 1990s, the Riot Grrrl movement explodes. 

On August 20-25, 1991,  "Girl Night" was held at a rock festival called the "International Pop Underground" in Washington. From this event and ones like it, many DIY and punk-inspired rock bands began pushing for a movement among and for women in rock.  Allison Wolfe of Bratmobile describes the early approach as follows: “Like, okay, if most boy punk rock bands just listen to the Ramones and that's how they write their songs, then we'll do the opposite and I won't listen to any Ramones and that way we'll sound different.”

This movement was not only about music; significantly, it also involved an emergent zine culture, which saw women all over the country producing their own, low-budget publications, which they would hand out at shows and mail to one another. In the days before the internet, zine culture constituted a primary form of communication and community for women rock fans. Eventually the movement that linked together such sentiments would be known as the Riot Grrrl movement. 

In the readings for this unit, you will read the Riot Grrrl manifesto, and you will also learn more about the kind of cultural phenomenon that this was. For now, some of the key political points that they stood for are as follows:

Girls to the front

Reproductive Rights

Positive sexuality

Explicit discussions of rape, sexual abuse, incest (Suck My Left One)

Threats against them, death of Mia Zapata

Effort to control public image/struggles with media

DIY in politics as well as music, organizing conventions

Form of authority—self questioning

Blind spots—Race and Class, privileged by whiteness and economic stability

Early Key Figures:

Tobi Vail, dj at KAOS, (Evergreen college) coined ‘grrrl’, founded Jigsaw fanzine 1989, founding member of Bikini Kill (d, v), 1991

Molly Neuman, founding editor Riot Grrrl & Girl Germs zines, Bratmobile, (d) 

Allison Wolfe, co-founder Riot Grrrl & Girl Germs, Bratmobile, (v)

Kathleen Hanna, spoken word, stripper, Riot Grrrl, Bikini Kill, Le Tigre (v,b,g)

Corin Tucker, Heaven’s to Betsy, Sleater-Kinney (v,g)

READ

Body" (KACS web), Cherniavsky (link)

https://keywords.nyupress.org/american-cultural-studies/essay/body/

Gottlieb and Wald.pdf

Riot Grrrl Manifesto

https://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/riotgrrrlmanifesto.html

WATCH

Sleater Kinney, "Surface Envy"

The Punk Singer, "Bikini Kill, Girls to the Front"

Bikini Kill, "Double Dare Ya"

Topic 2: Isms

In this module, we are thinking about pop, rock, and gender from a broader perspective. As you read the two articles, pay attention to the way that gender figures in the arguments of each author. As usual, you will have a good head start on the discussion assignment if you take notes: Can you identify the main arguments in each essay? Do you agree with one or both authors? Disagree? Why? 

READ

Kelefa Sanneh, "The Rap Against Rockism" (链接到外部网站。)

https://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/31/arts/music/the-rap-against-rockism.html

Robin James, "Poptimism and Popular Feminism"

https://soundstudiesblog.com/2018/09/17/poptimism-and-popular-feminism/

Discussion: Music and Feminism

2

This full discussion has two components:

1. Reflect on the following questions:

Compare and contrast the feminist project developed by the Riot Grrrl movement with popular feminism in today’s popular music. Can you think of contemporary examples of pop musicians whose music you hear as "feminist"? How have things changed, and does anything remain the same? What do you make of the way that feminism and popular music connect to each other? 

2. Respond to one of your classmates. Do you have a strong reaction (agree/disagree/relate/add) to someone else's thoughts? While being courteous and respectful, please weigh in.

Discussions are graded pass/fail. Follow all instructions to pass. If you do not include any element, you will fail.