Willis, Corin Charles (2002) The signifier returns to haunt the referent : blackface and the stereotyping of African-Americans in Hollywood early sound film. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.

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Abstract

This thesis investigates the persistence of blackface in Hollywood's early sound era
1927-1953. It establishes the extensive and complex nature of this persistence against
previous historical accounts of its decline after the introduction of sound. Specifically
this thesis considers the overlooked phenomenon of co-presence where blackface was
juxtaposed with the increased visibility of African-Americans in Hollywood film. It
argues that the primary historical significance of the persistence of blackface lies in its
involvement in, and exposure of, the formal stereotyping of African Americans in
film.
The thesis is founded on research which identified 124 blackface films and on
viewings of 75 of these films. Primarily the argument is advanced on the basis of
close textual analysis. In addition to its theoretical engagement with key positions on
blackface and related areas the thesis also makes use of secondary sources in order to
establish the historical context behind its persistence in film.
Principle areas discussed include the formal practices used to racially mark African Americans
in film, co-presence in the films of Al Jolson and Eddie Cantor, and
blackface and the racial containment of African-American vernacular dance and
music.
This thesis contributes to an understanding of the place of blackface in Hollywood
history by setting down what is, to the best of its author's knowledge, the most
extensive account to date of its persistence in the early sound era. In doing so it
brings new material to the debates on the 'nature' of blackface and argues that current
attempts to revise understandings of its racial bias may be misguided. In conclusion
this thesis finds that the case study of co-presence indicates that one explanation for
the longevity of Hollywood's African-American stereotypes lies in the sheer density
of their textual construction.

Item Type:	Thesis or Dissertation (PhD)
Subjects:	P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) > PN1993 Motion Pictures
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	African Americans in motion pictures, Blackface entertainers -- United States, Motion pictures -- United States -- History and criticism, Stereotypes (Social psychology) -- United States
Official Date:	December 2002
Dates:	Date Event December 2002 Submitted
Institution:	University of Warwick
Theses Department:	Department of Film and Television Studies
Thesis Type:	PhD
Publication Status:	Unpublished
Supervisor(s)/Advisor:	Dyer, Richard, 1945-
Extent:	vi, 390 pages.
Language:	eng

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