Date of Graduation

5-2015

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Anthropology (MA)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Anthropology

Advisor/Mentor

Marion, Jonathan S.

Committee Member

Erickson, Kirstin C.

Second Committee Member

Swedenburg, Ted R.

Keywords

Social sciences; Femininity; Feminist theory; Gender; Identity; Punk rock

Abstract

Since its inception nearly 40 years ago, punk rock has often been understood as a Social space for rebellion and resistance to dominant cultural norms. As such, punk rock culture becomes fertile ground for explorations of subversive constructions of genders. Drawing from ethnographic fieldwork conducted in the San Diego punk rock community, this thesis unpacks the construction, embodiment and enactment of alternative and pariah forms of femininities and examines their impact on gender dynamics within the scene. Ultimately, this thesis argues that (1) the San Diego punk rock community is a space where alternative and pariah femininities can be embodied and enacted, (2) the embodiment and enactment of these femininities challenges the traditional hegemonic relationship between masculinity and femininity, and (3) these challenges, and the responses to them, constitute a shift in the culturally-dominant gendered order with the scene.

Download

Share

COinS