Countercultural Archive and Thirdspace: An Examination of Allen Ginsberg’s Recordings

Abstract

As a central figure among the Beat Generation, Allen Ginsberg became one of the most politically active creative artists during the rapidly changing sociopolitical atmosphere of the second half of the twentieth century. Along with other Beats, Ginsberg’s mission was to experiment and explore his artistic abilities in light of evolving conventions. Ginsberg, with his notable works, presents complex and rich content to analyze and comment on through the lenses of spatial and social critical theories as his ideas and art manifest the time’s evolving views, providing an archive of counterculture. This thesis aims to examine the aesthetic and political implications of Ginsberg’s conscious impulse to record his poetry during his performances, which in time accumulated to be an unofficial archive of his poetic accomplishments as well as the countercultural moment he is a part of. This thesis further proposes that the archival space can also be interpreted as a Thirdspace in Edward Soja’s sense of the term, where space is considered with its historical and social dimensions. In the context of this analysis, the archival thirdspace is produced by Ginsberg’s conscious effort to record his own and the affiliated poet-friends’ performances. The immediacy of the poet’s voice preserved in the audio archive not only offers the poem as performance but also leads to a consideration of an interactive experience with its past and future audiences.