Brandon Boileau | York University (original) (raw)

Papers by Brandon Boileau

This paper explores the importance of Kendrick Lamar in the entertainment industry, in hip-hop an... more This paper explores the importance of Kendrick Lamar in the entertainment industry, in hip-hop and in American History. The essence of this paper explores his celebrity black body in relation to history, identity and his contribution to rich black historical archives on the black experience. At large, this paper examines his performance in his DNA music video, to see how his lived body, equipped with its historical DNA, informs our modern perception of the black body.

This paper, written from a feminist perspective, seeks to understand the oppressed black body in popular culture to see how public figures like Kendrick Lamar are reclaiming their history. By creating a rich archive of soulful music and meaningful videos, Kendrick is mainstreaming the black reality in a time where the African-American body is at a political crossroads.

Kendrick Lamar is writing history with his embodied performances and his profound written reflections and ensuring that future generations have a reference point in understanding, participating with and learning from their collective history.

According to a 2015 survey of over 44,000 American men, Armenian women topped the survey as the s... more According to a 2015 survey of over 44,000 American men, Armenian women topped the survey as the sexiest women in the world. Behind the Armenian ethnicity lies the women who represent it in popular culture, the Kardashians. There is no doubt in my mind that there is a clear correlation between the Kardashian brand and why American men believe Armenian woman to be the sexiest in the world. The Kardashians have come to embody the ethos of youthful feminism and have infiltrated the consciousness of many people around the world through a long-running reality TV program, Keeping up with the Kardashians. How were the Kardashians, one of many “real” families to grace television, able to infiltrate this consciousness and become such an important part of popular culture? With a successful twelve season reality show with six spin-off series, an impressive totaled 597 million social media followers and a myriad of public ventures, the Kardashians have effectively penetrated all boundaries to become the titans of pop and consumer culture. The survey has brought to the forefront a relationship between what “sexy femininity” is, who influences it, who ought to embody it and consume it. This problematic relationship demonstrates that the Kardashians have become a commodity representing modern womanhood, and in order to tap into the Kardashian ethos, you unwillingly give into the corporate undertones of popular feminism.

Deriving from the idea that the public sphere is a forum of discourse, we must not dismiss Facebo... more Deriving from the idea that the public sphere is a forum of discourse, we must not dismiss Facebook so quickly as a modern-day manifestation of a public sphere, despite not satisfying all criterions of Habermas’ idealized theory. I contend that the results of the elections might give us some insight that, although involuntary, a particular public sphere has emerged in the new digital landscape. This paper will argue that Facebook is the closest artifact we have to a digital public sphere and that both Clinton and Trump’s Facebook pages represent ideological counter-publics that have been important participatory milieus in the 2016 presidential elections. To support this argument, I will firstly discuss Habermas’ and Fraser’s conceptions of the public sphere in order to help categorize Facebook as a modern-day manifestation of this. Secondly, I will analyze the social networking features of Facebook to demonstrate how its framework has allowed it to form multiple ideological counter-publics in the form of political pages. Finally, I will examine further directions based on the results of the analysis of both candidates use of the Facebook network in the final nine days of the election cycle. Together, this article will shed a light on the increasingly important relationship between politics, social media and the ideals of a public sphere.

Résumé Les crises économiques du début des années 2000 ont causé beaucoup d’austérité dans certai... more Résumé
Les crises économiques du début des années 2000 ont causé beaucoup d’austérité dans certains pays, nous rappelant ainsi certaines périodes antérieures de récession. Mais n’avons-nous pas appris du passé? Puisque nous vivons dans un monde hautement interconnecté globalement, nous nous sommes posés plusieurs questions afin de mieux comprendre ce qui puisse causer de telles fluctuations et bouleversements dans l’économie tant au niveau national qu’international. Cet essai s’intéresse donc à l’évolution du système monétaire international, à l’efficacité des institutions internationales, aux décisions et interventions politico économiques des gouvernements au pouvoir, puis aux alternatives issues d’une ère fortement avancée technologiquement. Nous démontrons plus précisément que le système monétaire international présente clairement certaines lacunes, surtout causées par les interventions étatiques, et que l’utilisation d’une monnaie alternative pourrait régler certaines d’entre elles, contribuant ainsi à la création d’un environnement économique propice au bien-être des citoyens. Pour ce faire, nous utilisons une lentille philosophique néo-libérale et nous explorons
plus particulièrement la monnaie digitale Bitcoin pour en évaluer les avantages en comparaison aux monnaies fiduciaires.

Abstract:
The economic crises that occurred at the turn of the 21st century caused a lot of austerity in certain countries, reminding us of previous periods of recession. But have we not learned from the past? Because we live in such a globally interconnected world, we have asked ourselves many questions in order to bring to light the causes of these fluctuations and changes in national and international economies. The particular interest of this essay grounds itself in the evolution of the international monetary system, in the efficiency of international institutions, in politico-economic decisions made by key governments as well as alternatives brought forth by technological advances. We further demonstrate that the international monetary system clearly presents some issues mostly caused by government interventions and which requires solutions imminently. Consequently, we explore how the use of an alternative currency could solve some of these gaps, therefore contributing to the creation of a favourable economic environment putting individual well-being above all. To do this, we tend for a neo-liberal framework in exploring the advantages of Bitcoin, a digital currency, against traditional fiat currencies.

From the iconic Paper Magazine cover to the first Instagram pictures of her two children, Kim Ka... more From the iconic Paper Magazine cover to the first Instagram pictures of her two children, Kim Kardashian West, media tycoon and pop culture icon, has been known to have " broken the internet " on more than one occasion. Kim Kardashian's rise to fame and continual success in Hollywood is indicative of the saturation of celebrity/entertainment culture within the constructs of the everyday life of ordinary people. Kim's celebrity success has only been expanded recently as she moves her celebrity brand into the mobile industry, exteriorizing and concretizing her influence in the tech industry, most recently with her Kimoji app. Although Kimoji, another Kim Kardashian West mobile venture, didn't break the Apple store as many headlines had professed, it was downloaded at an impressive 9000 times per millisecond in the first few minutes of its launch and has consistently maintained its presence in Apple's App Charts.

Although numbers are impressive and not uncommon for Kim, questions about the app as an exteriorization of Kim's celebrity persona becomes a much more fascinating case study. From a meta-view, what can the staggering success of this Kardashian-themed emoji keyboard extension tell us about the relationship between celebrity persona, technology, and fandom? This essay proposes to investigate the tripartite relationship between technology, celebrity, and fandom by examining Kimoji within the constructs of the culture industry.

The geological divergence of the North American and Eurasian plates creates a geological border k... more The geological divergence of the North American and Eurasian plates creates a geological border known as the mid-Atlantic ridge. The continual diverging forces and intense volcanic activity of the sub-oceanic ridge have given birth to the landmass we know as Iceland. Symbolically, the geographical emergence of Iceland is a direct result of the distancing of both the old and new worlds. Iceland and its people rest at the crossroads of two very different societies, making it hard to share a sense of belonging with either continent, despite the unifying forces of globalization. Iceland's unique history and geographical isolation have resulted in a weak sense of belonging with either the historically rich European or progressive North American continents, thus fostering a strong ethnic and nationalistic identity. In lieu, Iceland has formed and maintained its own unique identity with help of both continents, becoming a geographic and cultural halfway intersection between both. This strong cultural identity can be best observed at Pingvellir, a lieu de mémoire representing the history, struggle, and relentlessness of Iceland's thirst for an identity of its own. The ensuing discussion outlines this thirst and how it paved the micronation's development of a strong national identity resistant of global cultural hybridization.

The art of journalism aside, this article is a respone to another that has perpetuated the narrat... more The art of journalism aside, this article is a respone to another that has perpetuated the narrative that has fuelled Trump's win and the opinions expressed, not only on Hillary Clinton as a candidate but the striking attack on women, and the perpetuation of these opinions are what the glass ceiling is made of. The glass ceiling of the Oval Office has not been shattered yet but the publication of this book might be a step in the right direction. Why, you might ask? Well, at no given time in the past two years has Hillary Clinton been able to express how she's felt, without losing all chances to the president’s chair and without a very pointed attack on her many accomplishments and her personhood embodied in the female body. Hillary was a placeholder for the title FIRST FEMALE POTUS because any woman running against Trump would have been victimized like Clinton. Clinton had the courage to initiate the fight for future generations.

A decade ago, in 2007, it was an important year in the realm of celebrity studies, Britney Spears... more A decade ago, in 2007, it was an important year in the realm of celebrity studies, Britney Spears had a meltdown and shaved her head, Lindsey Lohan checked into rehab and in February, Ray J “leaked” a sex tape exposing little-known Kim Kardashian. Kim Kardashian West is a fascinating case of celebrity because she helped build a media empire and a powerful brand at a crucial time, when reality TV was at its prime and when social media brought the idea of celebrity further into the mainstream of everyday culture. Kim’s celebrity persona is, therefore, an important artifact into understanding the matrix of celebrification (Grindstaff) and the fame cycle (Deller). The following essay will then consist of a handful of components charged with situating Kim Kardashian West within the field of popular and everyday culture. Kim Kardashian West’s Selfish is the most compelling artifact in understanding the new celebrity fame cycle and the social construction of the celebrity persona. To support this claim, I will briefly overview the state of celebrity studies and the fame cycle in hopes of showcasing the dynamics that are currently at play (Choi). The discussion will then lead to a substantive framing of the Reality TV genre as the catapult to Kim’s celebrity persona (Lueck). Subsequently, a discussion on the photographic image (Jerslev) will then be undertaken to explain its importance within the essence, creation, and propagation of the celebrity persona (Heinich). Only when all moving components of this essay are anchored together can we examine Selfish as an important contribution to the understanding of celebrity, the fame cycle and the personal brand through the analysis of the selfie. To understand the fame cycle vis-à-vis Kim Kardashian West’s cultivated celebrity persona, I will be looking at the 2006, 2011 and 2015 chapters of the second edition of Selfish. The specificity in the analysis of this academic essay will provide the field with an additional useful roadmap on alternative, yet analytical ways of contributing to celebrity studies by advancing ethnographic studies on one of Hollywood’s most dynamic personas, Kim Kardashian West.

Conference Presentations by Brandon Boileau

This strong cultural identity can be best observed at Pingvellir, a lieu de mémoire representing the history, struggle, and relentlessness of Iceland's thirst for an identity of its own. The ensuing discussion outlines this thirst and how it paved the micronation's development of a strong national identity resistant of global cultural hybridization. Beyond the study of the Icelandic identity, a discussion on future directions of the micro-nation as a modern tourist destination will explain the opportunities and challenges to the survival of the Icelandic nation in the upcoming years as Icelander's have found themselves renegotiating their space to tourism in exchange for economic stability and independence.