Forgeries of Memory and Meaning

Blacks and the Regimes of Race in American Theater and Film before World War II

Nonfiction, Entertainment, Film, History & Criticism, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Cultural Studies, African-American Studies
Cover of the book Forgeries of Memory and Meaning by Cedric J. Robinson, The University of North Carolina Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Cedric J. Robinson ISBN: 9781469606750
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press Publication: September 1, 2012
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press Language: English
Author: Cedric J. Robinson
ISBN: 9781469606750
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
Publication: September 1, 2012
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press
Language: English

Cedric J. Robinson offers a new understanding of race in America through his analysis of theater and film of the early twentieth century. He argues that economic, political, and cultural forces present in the eras of silent film and the early "talkies" firmly entrenched limited representations of African Americans.

Robinson grounds his study in contexts that illuminate the parallel growth of racial beliefs and capitalism, beginning with Shakespearean England and the development of international trade. He demonstrates how the needs of American commerce determined the construction of successive racial regimes that were publicized in the theater and in motion pictures, particularly through plantation and jungle films. In addition to providing new depth and complexity to the history of black representation, Robinson examines black resistance to these practices. Whereas D. W. Griffith appropriated black minstrelsy and romanticized a national myth of origins, Robinson argues that Oscar Micheaux transcended uplift films to create explicitly political critiques of the American national myth. Robinson's analysis marks a new way of approaching the intellectual, political, and media racism present in the beginnings of American narrative cinema.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Cedric J. Robinson offers a new understanding of race in America through his analysis of theater and film of the early twentieth century. He argues that economic, political, and cultural forces present in the eras of silent film and the early "talkies" firmly entrenched limited representations of African Americans.

Robinson grounds his study in contexts that illuminate the parallel growth of racial beliefs and capitalism, beginning with Shakespearean England and the development of international trade. He demonstrates how the needs of American commerce determined the construction of successive racial regimes that were publicized in the theater and in motion pictures, particularly through plantation and jungle films. In addition to providing new depth and complexity to the history of black representation, Robinson examines black resistance to these practices. Whereas D. W. Griffith appropriated black minstrelsy and romanticized a national myth of origins, Robinson argues that Oscar Micheaux transcended uplift films to create explicitly political critiques of the American national myth. Robinson's analysis marks a new way of approaching the intellectual, political, and media racism present in the beginnings of American narrative cinema.

More books from The University of North Carolina Press

Cover of the book Calypso Magnolia by Cedric J. Robinson
Cover of the book Blue Texas by Cedric J. Robinson
Cover of the book Two Captains from Carolina by Cedric J. Robinson
Cover of the book The Lives of Chang and Eng by Cedric J. Robinson
Cover of the book Through the Heart of Dixie by Cedric J. Robinson
Cover of the book Turning Right in the Sixties by Cedric J. Robinson
Cover of the book The State and Labor in Modern America by Cedric J. Robinson
Cover of the book Hemingway's Nonfiction by Cedric J. Robinson
Cover of the book Petersburg to Appomattox by Cedric J. Robinson
Cover of the book The Divided Path by Cedric J. Robinson
Cover of the book Slang and Sociability by Cedric J. Robinson
Cover of the book Seasons of Change by Cedric J. Robinson
Cover of the book Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas by Cedric J. Robinson
Cover of the book Embattled Freedom by Cedric J. Robinson
Cover of the book Interpreting the Free Exercise of Religion by Cedric J. Robinson
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy