![]() ![]() ![]() She instead offers a narrative grounded in the spaces of racial slavery, where the coerced “scenes of enslaved blacks performing music, song, and dance for the amusement of white spectators” made ideas about race, power, and American culture (p. Thompson responds to such authors as Donald Bogle, Robin Means Coleman, and Mel Watkins who view blackface minstrel shows as the birth of not only American entertainment but also negative stereotypes of African Americans. ![]() Ring Shout, Wheel About: The Racial Politics of Music and Dance in North American Slavery probes the development of racism in entertainment, and argues that the sites of slavery “fostered the first American entertainment venue” (p. Historian Katrina Dyonne Thompson’s recent monograph provides a convincing and well-presented answer. The Academy’s omission raised the questions of how and why did Hollywood become uncomfortable with authentic black representation. The snub of the film’s actors and acclaimed director prompted an overdue conversation concerning racism in American popular entertainment. The release of the 2015 Oscar nominations surprised many who expected to see Ava Duvernay’s Selma (2014) present in almost every category. Reviewed by Christine Rizzi (University of Mississippi) Ring Shout, Wheel About: The Racial Politics of Music and Dance in North American Slavery.Ĭhampaign: University of Illinois Press, 2014. ![]()
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