Popular is not enough : the political voice of Joan Baez : a case study in the biographical method

In his study, Markus Jaeger explores the coalescence of Joan Baez's work as a singer and songwriter with her endeavors as a political activist throughout the last fifty years. He illustrates an American popular singer's significance as a political activist--for her audiences and for her opponents as well as for those victims of politically organized violence who have profited from her work. Mingling popular culture with political activism can be a helpful means to achieve non-violent societal progress. Joan Baez's work offers an excellent example for this hypothesis. Table Of Contents 8 Introduction 12 1. Stepping Over Boundaries: Materials, Methodology And Theory 20 Introduction 20 1.1 Against Wrongful Restrictions: On The Advantages Of Interdisciplinarity 21 1.2 Reconstituting Culture: On The Significance Of Social Movements 22 1.3 Life Is The Method: On The Sisterhood Of Biography And Society 24 1.4 Popular Is Not Enough: On Popular Culture And Politics 27 1.5 A Critical View Of A Critical Theorist: How A Bad Frankfurt Pupil Can Still Be Politically Active 31 1.5.1 Music For More Than Music's Sake: On The Credibility Of Politically Engaged Artists 33 1.5.2 Words Do Not Change Society: Theory Versus Practice 37 1.5.2.1 On Fictitious Freedom 37 1.5.2.2 On The Credibility Of Hazy Categories 40 1.5.2.3 On The Passiveness Of Theories 42 2. "The Kingdom of Childhood" : Major Moments of the 1950s 46 Introduction 46 2.1 Religion Without Violence: Joan Baez And The Quakers 47 2.2 Becoming Someone Who Was Alright: On Singing Against Isolation 50 2.3 The Birth Of A Passion: Iraq, 1951 55 2.4 Preparing For The March On Washington: Joan Baez And Dr.Martin Luther King, Jr. 57 2.5 Another Teacher Of Pacifism: Jewish Scholar Ira Sandperl 60 3. On Refusal Without Violence: Joan Baez And Henry DavidThoreau 62 4. High School Activist And Folk Music Revivalist 70 Introduction 70 4.1 Conservative Nostalgia About The 1950s 70 4.2 Pedagogy Of Paranoia: Activist For The First Time 73 4.3 The Soundtrack Of The American Counterculture: Joan Baez And The Folk Music Revival 75 5. Postwar Fractures In Society: Joan Baez In The 1960s 82 Introduction 82 5.1 Doubted Demarcations: American Society And Change In The 1960s 83 5.2 Going Further Than Allowed: Joan Baez And The Civil Rights Movement 88 5.3 When Students More Than Studied: Joan Baez And The Free Speech Movement 95 5.4 Playing Domino: Joan Baez Against The Vietnam War 99 6. A Roller Coaster Decade: Joan Baez In The 1970s 108 Introduction 108 6.1 In The Shadow: The Comeback Of Conservatism 109 6.2 No Matter What Their Crime Is: Joan Baez And Political Prisoners 117 6.3 The Normality Of Otherness: Joan Baez And The Gay Liberation Movement 123 6.4 Life Saving Songs: Joan Baez in South East Asia After the Vietnam War 128 7. A Narcissistic Decade: Joan Baez In The 1980s 134 Introduction 134 7.1 The Political Meaning Of Yogurt: Ramboism And Music During The 1980s 135 7.2 Causing Troubles: Joan Baez In Latin America 145 7.3 Organized Non-Violence Once More: Joan Baez In Poland 151 7.4 Singing For The Velvet Revolution: Joan Baez In Czechoslovakia 155 8. Gone From Danger: Joan Baez In The 1990s 162 Introduction 162 8.1 Still Speaking Of Dreams: On Different Definitions Of Energetic Change 163 8.2 Singing At The Frontier Lines: Joan Baez In Sarajevo 171 9. A Lifetime Achievement: Joan Baez In The 2000s 180 Introduction 180 9.1 War En Vogue Once More: Consequences Of 9/11 181 9.2 Veterans And Mothers Against The War Once More: Joan Baez And Cindy Sheehan 193 9.3 Censorship Once More: Joan Baez Not Allowed To Sing At Walter Reed Army Medical Center 201 Conclusion 206 Bibliography 210 Acknowledgements 226 Curriculum Vitae 228 Annotation In his study, Markus Jaeger explores the coalescence of Joan Baez's work as a singer and songwriter with her endeavors as a political activist throughout the last fifty years. He illustrates an American popular singer's significance as a political activist - for her audiences and for her opponents as well as for those victims of politically organized violence who have profited from her work. Mingling popular culture with political activism can turn into a helpful means when it comes to a non-violent progress of society. Joan Baez's work offers an excellent example for this hypothesis In his study, Markus Jäger explores the coalescence of Joan Baez's work as a singer and songwriter with her endeavors as a political activist throughout the last fifty years. He illustrates an American popular singer's significance as a political activist – for her audiences and for her opponents as well as for those victims of politically organized violence who have profited from her work. Mingling popular culture with political activism can turn into a helpful means when it comes to a non-violent progress of society. Joan Baez's work offers an excellent example for this hypothesis.