Booth Alison S 2014 PhD

312 Pages·2014·6.19 MB·English

Performance Networks
Indian Cultural Production in Aotearoa/New Zealand

A thesis submitted for the
Degree of Doctorate of Philosophy

Alison Stevens Booth

University of Otago
Dunedin, New Zealand
2014
Abstract
In the globalised environment of the twenty-first century, sustainable/successful event
production requires a variety of interacting relationships that link producers to the range of
resources necessary for their events. These resources may include local and/or
international artists, audiences, sponsorship, media, and technical support. These event
production networks may last no longer than a single event, or they may persist across
multiple events and years. They usually involve a wide range of cultural actors and
production relationships. The manner in which individual producers, organisations and
cultures construct, use, rearrange and maintain production networks offers insight into how
cultures market and represent themselves. This research identifies the processes through
which local and global network formations shape Indian cultural performance events in
Aotearoa and the consequent images of India that are received/consumed by the wider
New Zealand audience. The central research question asks: What are the processes and
relationships that support the production of cultural events, with specific reference to
events that are of interest to and/or produced by Aotearoa’s Indian communities?
This ethnographic study begins with an investigation of a wide range of local and
international socio-economic and cultural relationships generated by a number of different
kinds of shared interests and identities that determine not only the nature of the events but
their relevance to various audiences. Subsequently, it goes on to identify how local and
global network formations in Indian culture and the performing arts interact so as to allow
the development of events from their conceptual stages into actual productions. Finally,
this research develops a model for the graphic representation of stakeholder and resource
production networks that analyses the underlying structures and complex socio-economic
interactions that enable cultural performances.
Taken as a whole, this research demonstrates the centrality of relationship networks
as the key to the relative success or failure of the events studied. From the perspective of
event production needs, the flexibility and event-specific nature of those networks is made
clear. At the same time, it is apparent that there are a range of culturally driven factors that
affect event production practice as well as network formation, utilisation and maintenance.
Identity and community, feasibility and power emerge as explanatory and analytical
themes that help understand the relationships activated to create the networks that are
central to the production of events.
i
This study focuses on the pragmatic business of cultural production, often within
the context of the music industry. Methodologically, it draws from ethnomusicology, event
management, social science and industry practice to achieve a multidisciplinary approach
to this applied research project. The rich, thick descriptions provide insight into how
Indian communities are represented locally and globally by producers internal and external
to the culture being represented. Cultural events are a powerful factor in the visibility of
cultural communities and social cohesion. It is the continuous formal and informal
processes, systems, structures, and relationships that create sustainable production
networks.
The findings contribute to a growing literature in the field of event management in
which a need to apply phenomenology (hermeneutics) and experiential assessment
methods through participant observation and experimental research techniques has been
identified as well as the need for ethnographic research that focuses on the event
experience. The findings in this research demonstrate that that success is much more than a
simple measure of monetary profit, and that the ability to assert authority is imperative to
the success of cultural representation across the performance industry.
.
ii
Acknowledgements
I would like to express special thanks to the residents of the city of Auckland who support
cultural events, to all of the participants in this study, and to those who made possible the
amazing performances that I have had the privilege of experiencing over the course of this
research. May the events you participate in help you accomplish your goals and fulfil your
dreams. This thesis is dedicated to the memory of Rattan Thakurdas and Sudhakar
Mayadeyo who contributed to the cultural richness of my family’s life when we were new
migrants to Aotearoa in 1993. Thank you both for absorbing us into your families and
sharing the love of classical Indian music. Your stories and contributions to the Indian
music scene in Auckland are woven into this thesis, as your memories are embedded in our
lives. Bless you and miss you.
Full acknowledgement must be given to the support of Linda O’Neill, Head of the
School of Hospitality and Tourism at AUT University, who supported me professionally
and emotionally through this process and allowed me time to study while lecturing full-
time. I also wish to thank Vice Chancellor Derek McCormick and Deputy Vice Chancellor
Professor Rob Allen, from AUT University, for a Vice-Chancellor’s Academic Staff
Doctorate Completion Award to assist in completing the final writing process of this
research.
The beginnings of this research must be credited to the help and friendship of my
initial PhD supervisor Dr. John Hull who believed in this project and helped me clarify my
thoughts before leaving the New Zealand Tourism Research Institute to realise his dreams
in Canada. Thanks to Professor Henry Johnson for your friendship and support and
believing in my research capabilities and for assisting me in transferring to the University
of Otago and completing the project as my primary supervisor while remaining a dear
friend. Thanks to Dr. Dan Bendrups, who left me for Griffith University in Australia and
continued to assist and provide insightful comments, friendship and laughter through to my
completion. Thanks to Thelma Fisher, the very helpful University of Otago music liaison
librarian for her astute advice and the library distance learning team for the many books
couriered to me in Auckland.
As a distance learner, the support and love I received from family and friends
cannot go unmentioned. Thanks to my wonderful husband Greg for astutely questioning
my thoughts and ideas, assisting in confirming my findings, mentoring me as a researcher,
and the many dinners and home-baked loaves of bread and the loving home support he has
iii
provided. Thanks to Paula Laird for her nurturing support that got me through times of
stress, reading through drafts, and the many phone calls when words all started to blur. To
Mona-Lynn Courteau for her supreme help editing. Thanks to Jennifer Frost for your
encouragement and laughter. To Colin and to Sophie, thanks for your support, your love
and the baby plants that produced so many vegetables that nourished me through this
process. Special thanks are extended to Georgiana Booth for inspiring me, believing in me
and giving me courage.

iv
Table of Contents
Abstract ................................................................................................................................. i 
Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................. iii 
Table of Contents ................................................................................................................. v 
List of Tables ....................................................................................................................... ix 
List of Figures ...................................................................................................................... x 
Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 1 
Setting the Scene ........................................................................................................................... 4 
Limitations of this Study ............................................................................................................... 6 
Structure of the Thesis .................................................................................................................. 7 
Chapter One: Literature and Methodology .................................................................... 10 
Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 10 
Part One: Literature Review and Key Theoretical Concepts ...................................................... 10 
Community and Community Oriented Events ......................................................................... 12 
Private, Public and Not-for-Profit Festivals ........................................................................... 15 
Sense of Identity, Diaspora, and Globalised Cultures ............................................................ 16 
Festivalisation and Cultural Policies ...................................................................................... 24 
Events and Stakeholder Relationships ..................................................................................... 30 
Indian Cultural Organisations in Auckland, Demographic Details and Migration History ... 31 
Gaps in the Literature ............................................................................................................. 38 
Part Two: Methodology .............................................................................................................. 39 
Research Foundations: The Theoretical Assumption .............................................................. 39 
Validity, Reliability and Generalisability ................................................................................ 41 
Data Collection ....................................................................................................................... 44 
Conceptual Model ................................................................................................................... 45 
18-Month Event Snapshot ........................................................................................................ 53 
Event Performance Genres ...................................................................................................... 55 
Film Pre-liberalisation, Film Post-liberalisation and Global Identity ................................... 57 
v
Event Producers ...................................................................................................................... 59 
Audience Cultural Affiliation, Target Markets and Producer Identity .................................... 60 
Conclusion .................................................................................................................................. 65 
Chapter Two: Community Organisations as Producers ............................................... 66 
Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 66 
Cultural Organisation Event Content Overview ......................................................................... 67 
Case Studies ................................................................................................................................ 73 
Case Study 1: Classical Content in a Tamil Diasporic Dance Performance .......................... 73 
Case Study 2: Cultural Schools and Societies ......................................................................... 81 
Case Study 3: Classical Music School Producers ................................................................... 84 
Case Study 4: Cultural School Fusion Performance ............................................................... 86 
Case Study 5: Cultural Schools and Cultural Society Production Collaboration .................. 88 
Cultural Society Diversity in Three Holi Festivals ..................................................................... 91 
Case Study 6: WIA Rang Barse Holi Mela .............................................................................. 91 
Case Study 7: Bhartiya Samaj and Humm FM: Holi Festival of Colours .............................. 95 
Case Study 8: Holi Hungama .................................................................................................. 98 
Cultural Representation at Three Holi Celebrations ............................................................ 100 
Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 102 
Chapter Three: Government Agencies as Producers of “India” ................................ 106 
Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 106 
The Growth of Indian Events and Auckland’s Creative Industries .......................................... 107 
Case Study 9: The Festival of India .......................................................................................... 118 
1995 Festival of India ............................................................................................................ 118 
1996 Festival of India ............................................................................................................ 120 
1997 Festival of India ............................................................................................................ 122 
Case Study 10: 1997 Festival of Asia ....................................................................................... 123 
Case Study 11: 1997 T.N. Krishnan and N. Rajam Concert Tour ............................................ 128 
Three Case Studies: Recent Council Productions ..................................................................... 133 
Case Study 12: 2011-12 Music in Parks ............................................................................... 134 
Case Study 13: 2011 The Manganiyar Seduction.................................................................. 136 
vi
Case Study 14: Diwali: Festival of Lights ............................................................................. 139 
Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 152 
Chapter Four: Commercial Event Producers .............................................................. 155 
Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 155 
Event Sustainability and Commercial Production Practices ..................................................... 156 
Case Study 15: Three Local Bollywood Performers ................................................................. 167 
Mega Sangeet Mehfil ............................................................................................................. 167 
Old Is Gold III (February 2009)............................................................................................ 169 
A Tribute to Kishore Kumar .................................................................................................. 171 
Case Study 16: Three Overseas Bollywood Performance Stars ............................................... 175 
Asha Bhosle ........................................................................................................................... 175 
Rahat Fateh Ali Khan ............................................................................................................ 178 
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy ............................................................................................................. 181 
Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 184 
Chapter Five: Global India in New Zealand – Producing Desi Performance ........... 188 
Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 188 
Being Global in Auckland ..................................................................................................... 189 
Being Desi in Auckland ......................................................................................................... 189 
The Transcultural Nature of Popular Culture ....................................................................... 191 
Changing Event Production Practices .................................................................................. 192 
Case Study 17: Unforgettable Music Festival ........................................................................... 194 
Case Study 18: DJs and Bollywood Rock ................................................................................. 200 
DJ Club Scene ....................................................................................................................... 201 
Bollywood Rock: Nasha ........................................................................................................ 205 
New Performance Perspectives and Producer Reflections ....................................................... 208 
Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 212 
Chapter Six: Discussion and Analysis ........................................................................... 215 
Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 215 
Data Analysis ............................................................................................................................ 215 
Key Overarching Themes ......................................................................................................... 217 
vii
Community belonging ........................................................................................................... 218 
Government ........................................................................................................................... 218 
Emerging Theme: Identity ........................................................................................................ 219 
Cultural Identity .................................................................................................................... 220 
Producer Identity ................................................................................................................... 221 
Performance Identity ............................................................................................................. 223 
Concluding Remarks: Identity ............................................................................................... 224 
Emerging Theme: Community .................................................................................................. 225 
Community Belonging ........................................................................................................... 227 
Community Participation ...................................................................................................... 231 
Community Production Practices .......................................................................................... 233 
Concluding Remarks on Community ..................................................................................... 237 
Emerging Theme: Feasibility .................................................................................................... 239 
Economic Realities: Producers, Venues and Audience ......................................................... 240 
Event Requirements ............................................................................................................... 242 
Venues and Ticket Distribution ............................................................................................. 246 
Concluding Remarks: Feasibility .......................................................................................... 247 
Emerging Theme: Power .......................................................................................................... 248 
Different Producer Types and Access to Resources .............................................................. 250 
Achieving Government Goals ................................................................................................ 250 
Achieving Community Goals ................................................................................................. 255 
Achieving Commercial Goals ................................................................................................ 257 
Quantitative Analysis of the Twenty-three Producer Network Maps ....................................... 265 
Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 272 
Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 276 
References ........................................................................................................................ 285 

viii
List of Tables

Table 1. Language and Indian Cultural Organisations in Auckland ................................. 36 
Table 2. Festival History Timeline (Including Indian Culture) and Producer ................. 111 
Table 3. THE EDGE International Arts Season and Auckland Arts Festival Events ..... 114 
Table 4. THE EDGE International Arts Season Performances (THE EDGE, 2011) ...... 116 
Table 5. Emerging Theme Analysis ................................................................................ 218 
Table 6. Holi Celebrations Produced by Cultural Associations ...................................... 231 
Table 7. Community Focus of Cultural Schools and Societies ....................................... 236 
Table 8. Relationship Basis and Target Resources in the 23 Event Project Maps .......... 266 
Table 9. Distinctions between the Producers of Concerts and Festivals ......................... 267 

ix