"This Is America" : Race, Gender, and Politics in America's Musical Landscape.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Rios, Katie, author.

Series:

Critical Perspectives on Music and Society

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Popular music--Political aspects--United States.

Popular music.

Popular music--Political aspects.

Resistance (Philosophy)--Political aspects.

Resistance (Philosophy).

United States.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (197 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Distribution:

New York : Bloomsbury Publishing (US), 2025.

Place of Publication:

Maryland : Lexington Books, 2021.

System Details:

text file rdaft

Summary:

In "This is America," Katie Rios considers current American artists who build encoded gestures of resistance into their works. These artists offer both an interpretation and a critique of what “This Is America” means. Using Childish Gambino’s video for “This Is America” as a starting point, Rios considers how elements including clothing, hairstyles, body movements, gaze, lighting effects, distortion, and word play symbolize American dissonance. From Laurie Anderson’s presence in challenging authority and playing with traditional gender roles in her works, to the Black female feminism and social activism of Beyoncé, Rhiannon Giddens, and Janelle Monáe, to hip hop as resistance in the age of Trump, to sonic and visual variety in the musical Hamilton, the subjects are as powerful as they are topical. Rios explores the ways in which artists relate to and represent underrepresented groups, especially groups that are not traditionally perceived as having a majority voice. These gestures recur across images, live performances, and videos, becoming recognizable acts of resistance leveled at injustices based on a number of categories, including race, gender, class, religion, and politics.

Contents:

Introduction

Notes

Chapter 1: "We're Drowning in Our Own Stories"

Part I

Part II

Chapter 2: "At the Intersection of Racism and Sexism"

#MeToo

#TimesUp

#BlackLivesMatter

Beyoncé and "Formation" (2016)

Rhiannon Giddens

Janelle Monáe, 2018 Grammy Speech and "Americans"

Chapter 3: "We the People?" Hip-Hop as Resistance in the Trump Era

2016

2017

2017-2018: Articulated Anti-Trump Sentiment in Works by Eminem and a Visit from the Secret Service

2018

2019

2020

Chapter 4: "Look Around," "History Is Happening"

Conclusion

Note

Bibliography

Index

About the Author.

ISBN:

9781666982343

1666982342

9781793619174

1793619174

OCLC:

1255221306