Kung-Fu Cowboys to Bronx B-Boys: Heroes and the Birth of Hip Hop Culture
The scholarly study of hip hop is still in its infancy, and the focus in 2005 still rests largely upon African roots. However, many influences helped to shape hip hop culture in New York during its formative period in the 1970s. One of the most important of these was the Chinese kung-fu film, and th...
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| Format: | Others |
| Language: | English English |
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Florida State University
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| Online Access: | http://purl.flvc.org/fsu/fd/FSU_migr_etd-0609 |
| Summary: | The scholarly study of hip hop is still in its infancy, and the focus in 2005 still rests largely upon African roots. However, many influences helped to shape hip hop culture in New York during its formative period in the 1970s. One of the most important of these was the Chinese kung-fu film, and the kung-fu heroes upon whom this cinema centered. Rather than being seen as a foreign concept, the kung-fu hero fit into American culture as an ideological descendant of the mythological American cowboy. By tracing the history of the cowboy as American hero and then investigating the similarities between cowboy hero and kung-fu hero, the reasons for the kung-fu hero's acceptance in America, particularly by minority audiences, become clear. Finally, an analysis of the movement in kung-fu films and hip hop dance (called breaking or b-boying), reveals how the kung-fu hero affected the development of hip hop culture, and its aesthetic and philosophical underpinnings. === A Thesis submitted to the Department of History in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts. === Fall Semester, 2005. === October 19, 2005. === Chinese Cinema, Chinese Film, Asian Film, Dance, Hiphop, Hip-Hop, Rap, Breakdancing, Martial Arts, Bboy, Breakdance, Breaking, African American Dance, Popular Culture === Includes bibliographical references. === Neil Jumonville, Professor Directing Thesis; Maxine Jones, Committee Member; Matt D. Childs, Committee Member. |
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