Blackface, White Noise: Jewish Immigrants in the Hollywood Melting Pot

Description

The tangled connections that have bound Jews to African Americans in popular culture and liberal politics are at the heart of Michael Rogin's arresting and unnerving book. Looking at films from Birth of a Nation to Forrest Gump, Rogin explores blackface in Hollywood films as an aperture to broader issues: the nature of "white" identity in America, the role of race in transforming immigrants into "Americans," the common experiences of Jews and African Americans that made Jews key supporters in the fight for racial equality, and the social importance of popular culture. Rogin's forcefully argued study challenges us to confront the harsh truths behind the popularity of racial masquerade. Blackface, White Noise CONTENTS ILLUSTRATIONS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS PART 1 MADE IN AMERICA Chapter 1 Uncle Sammy and My Mammy I II III Chapter 2 Two Declarations of Independence The Contaminated Origins of American National Culture I II III IV V Chapter 3 Nationalism, Blackface, and the Jewish Question I II III IV PART 2 THE JOLSON STORY Chapter 4 Blackface, White Noise The Jewish Jazz Singer Finds His Voice I II III IV V Chapter 5 Racial Masquerade and Ethnic Assimilation in the Transition to Talking Pictures I II III IV V PART 3 "DEMOCRACY AND BURNT CORK": THE END OF BLACKFACE, THE BEGINNING OF CIVIL RIGHTS Chapter 6 New Deal Blackface I II III IV V VI Chapter 7 "We Could Cross These Racial Lines" Hollywood Discovers Civil Rights I II III IV Chapter 8 Conclusion: Abington Township NOTES Chapter 1. Uncle Sammy and My Mammy Chapter 2. Two Declarations of Independence Chapter 3. Nationalism, Blackface, and the Jewish Question Chapter 4. Blackface, White Noise Chapter 5. Racial Masquerade and Ethnic Assimilation in the Transition to Talking Pictures Chapter 6. New Deal Blackface Chapter 7. "We Could Cross These Racial Lines" Chapter 8. Conclusion FILMS CITED INDEX A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z