Motown Matrix: Race, Gender & Class Identity in in "The Sound of Young America"

Catalog description

In the 1960s Motown Records emerged as a dominant force in American popular music. Billing itself as "The Sound of Young America," Motown established a lyrical and musical discourse through its records and albums that struck a responsive chord with white and Black listeners alike. In this seminar we examine the race, gender and class identity that is inherent in"and emerges from""The Motown Sound." How did this company exploit the nationalist pride in the African American community while simultaneously positioning itself as a "crossover" enterprise to whites? What models of business and community did Motown emulate and create? And how did Motown affect the politics and racial discourse of its listeners? Our exploration situates Motown in the Detroit community of the 1950s and 1960s, to understand how it was "imagined," and its impact on the wider culture. Readings may include excerpts from The Origins of the Urban Crisis by Thomas Sugrue; Where Did Our Love Go? by Nelson George, Once in a Great City by David Maraniss; Dancing in the Street by Suzanne E. Smith; Just My Soul Responding by Brian Ward, and Detroit: I Do Mind Dying by Dan Georgakas and Marvin Surkin. The lyrics of Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and Holland-Dozier-Holland as well as such films as "Standing in the Shadows of Motown" and "The Maxine Powell" documentary will be included.