Blackface?

[maeveenroute]

Hey, smart people!  I've recently had an idea that I can't actually flesh out without knowing something about blackface - its construction in modern media, its meaning/effects, that sort of thing.  And I don't, really.

My question to you-all is this: what should I be reading about (modern) blackface?  Classics, new cutting-edge stuff, anything that

Comments

[fabricdragon]

well, i can suggest you do some good cross references with Amos and Andy, golden age comedy, and so on. other than that i cant really help much...
but it sounds neat!

[ceaselesslymuse]

As I recall, David Roediger's "The Wages of Whiteness" includes an intriguing section on blackface, which you should consult. I think it's on one of my office shelves. :)

[maeveenroute]

Got it! You're right, this is fascinating... and pre-highlighted for my reading convenience! :c)

[00_rachie_00]

The "blackface" Wikipedia article actually has a decent bibliography. NPR also did this piece.

[raccoontoy]

Not strictly a critical piece but you might want to consider watching Spike Lee's Bamboozled.

[maeveenroute]

*grin* Irony of ironies, I just submitted the paper I was seeking those refs for to the Journal of Language and Politics. Last night. ;c)

Thanks for the link, though - just because the paper's written (and out of my hands! eek!) doesn't mean I'm not still interested in the subject. I'm looking forward to reading all six of the posts.

Thanks, too, for the thumbs-up re: my comments @ nadyalec's. I ended up stepping away just because I worried my snippiness in the last series of comments was doing more harm than good, but ... rarr. Anyway, good to know someone else (other than, obviously, N) thought the original commenter's word choice was ill-considered.