Degree Name
MA (Master of Arts)
Program
History
Date of Award
12-2023
Committee Chair or Co-Chairs
Elwood Watson
Committee Members
John Rankin, Henry Antkiewicz
Abstract
The chief argument of this work rests on the idea that culture-blindness—especially White ethnic-cultural blindness—contributed as much as issues of race to the heavily documented social rift between predominantly Chicanx, Eastside punk and the mostly-White, Westside punk rock communities of Los Angeles, 1976-1981. To date, historical blame for the divide has centered on racism, including racist intent. The second area of analysis directly relates to the first in that it demonstrates the inextricable link between cultural and spatial identity formation and assignment among the various scenes. This aspect of the study evaluates the complaints of some Eastside acts who have contended that based on racist attitude(s), they were prohibited from playing in Westside venues, thereby limiting their opportunities for gaining notoriety in the industry overall. This evaluation attempts to weigh the validity of that complaint against other determinative, influential aspects of the entire punk phenomenon. Lastly, through historically tracking the remnants of cultural Chicanismo clear into L.A.’s first and succeeding punk waves, this work analyzes the art of protest, and the protest in art as applied to that city’s diverse punk aesthetics.
Document Type
Thesis - unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Hammock, Lawson, "Music with a Racial Nexus: Culture Clash in Los Angeles Punk Rock Communities, 1976-1981" (2023). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 4304. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/4304
Copyright
Copyright by the authors.