Misty Carlisle - Performance and Community in American Culture
Misty is currently pursuing an MFA in Writing for Film and Television at Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts.
Area of Concentration Courses
African American Studies 159 - Black Popular Music and Culture: From Be-Bop to Hip Hop
Ethnic Studies 122AC - Ethnicity and Race in Contemporary American Films
History 125A - African American History and Race Relations: 1450-1860
African American Studies 101- Research Methods for African American Studies
African American Studies 159 - Art and Social Justice in the New Negro Era
Thesis
Elvis Presley's Political Activism through Performance
This thesis examines Elvis Presley’s political consciousness, focusing on how his performances functioned as attempts at activism despite his public silence on social issues. While Presley rarely addressed politics directly, his blending of gospel, rhythm and blues, and country reflected an effort to bridge racial divides in a segregated America. Using Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis (2022) as a point of departure, this study analyzes the 1968 Comeback Special in the wake of the assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Senator Robert F. Kennedy, culminating in Presley’s performance of “If I Can Dream.” I also consider later songs such as “American Trilogy” and “In the Ghetto” as continuations of this expression. Finally, I address the influence of Colonel Tom Parker, whose control shaped Presley’s silence. This project argues that Presley’s artistry reveals the complexities of celebrity, political expression, and cultural power in mid-twentieth-century America
