Date of Award

Fall 12-2012

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

M.A.

Degree Program

History

Department

History

Major Professor

Atkinson, Dr. Connie

Second Advisor

Mizell-Nelson, Dr. Michael

Third Advisor

Goss, Dr. Andrew

Abstract

The French Quarter of New Orleans and its famous Bourbon Street receive millions of visitors each year and are the subjects of both scholarly study and the popular imagination. Bourbon Street’s history of striptease has largely been untouched by scholars. In the post-World War II period, nightclubs featuring striptease entertainment drew the attention of reform-minded city and police officials, who attempted to purge striptease from the city’s historic district in an effort to whitewash the city’s main tourist area and appeal to potential outside economic industrial opportunities. Through news articles, correspondence, tourism brochures, and published reports, this thesis explores how striptease endured on Bourbon Street despite various reform campaigns against it and shows that striptease was an integral part of the New Orleans tourist economy in the postwar period.

Rights

The University of New Orleans and its agents retain the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible this dissertation or thesis in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. The author retains all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis or dissertation.

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