Date of Award
Spring 4-11-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Music
First Advisor
Professor Maria Mendonça
Abstract
‘New words to an older melody’: Contemporary Folk Music in America is an examination of contemporary folk music in America through two frames of focus: contemporary queer, female and/or genderqueer identifying folk singer-songwriters who play the acoustic guitar, and the nature of live music in small-venue settings. This work examines how the construction of different kinds of intimacy provides the space for folk musicians with underrepresented identities to challenge dominant heternormative, white, and cis notions of American citizenship through their songwriting and performance. I argue that the use of the acoustic guitar plays a particular role in the creation and facilitation of intimacy and its transmission to the public through live performance.
Recommended Citation
Stripling, Olivia, "‘New words to an older melody’: Contemporary Folk Music in America" (2026). Honors Theses. 1011.
https://digital.kenyon.edu/honorstheses/1011
Rights Statement
All rights reserved. This copy is provided to the Kenyon Community solely for individual academic use. For any other use, please contact the copyright holder for permission.