Scripting the Black Masculine Body

Ronald L. Jackson Ii

Description

Winner of the 2007 Everett Lee Hunt Award presented by the Eastern Communication Association

Scripting the Black Masculine Body traces the origins of Black body politics in the United States and its contemporary manifestations in popular cultural productions. From early blackface cinema through contemporary portrayals of the Black body in hip-hop music and film, Ronald L. Jackson II examines how African American identities have been socially constructed, constituted, and publicly understood, and argues that popular music artists and film producers often are complicit with Black body stereotypes. Jackson offers a communicative perspective on body politics through a blend of social scientific and humanities approaches and offers possibilities for the liberation of the Black body from its current ineffectual and paralyzing representations.
Acknowledgments

Introduction
Race and Corporeal Politics

1. Origins of Black Body Politics

2. Scripting the Black Body in Popular Media: Exploring Process

3. Black Masculine Scripts

4. “If It Feels This Good Gettin’ Used”: Exploring the Hypertext of Sexuality in Hip-Hop Music and Pimp Movies

5. Toward an Integrated Theory of Black Masculinity

Epilogue
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

Notes
References
Index

Sujets

• Popular culture
• Ethnic studies

Informations

• Publié par: State University of New York Press
• Date de parution: 01 janvier 2006
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780791482377
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 13 Mo

Extrait

Scripting the Black Masculine Body

SUNY series, Negotiating Identity: Discourses, Politics, Processes, and Praxes

Ronald L. Jackson II, editor

S C R I P T I N G

T H E B L A C K

M A S C U L I N E B O D Y

Identity, Discourse, and Racial Politics in Popular Media

R O N A L D L . J A C K S O N I I

S T AT E U N I V E R S I T Y O F N E W Y O R K P R E S S

Poet Bridget Gray’s poem “My Letter to Hip Hop” is used here by permission. Chapter 5 is used here by permission from International Thomson Publishing/Wadsworth and Celnisha Dangerfield. It is an expanded version of the following article: Jackson, R. L. & Dangerfield, C. (2002). Defining Black Masculinity as Cultural Property: An Identity Negotiation Paradigm. In L. Samovar & R. Porter (Eds.),Intercultural Communication: A Reader (pp. 120–130). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Published by State University of New York Press Albany

© 2006 State University of New York

All rights reserved

Printed in the United States of America

No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher.

For information, address State University of New York Press 194 Washington Avenue, Suite 305, Albany, NY 12210-2384

Production, Laurie Searl Marketing, Susan Petrie

Library of Congress CataloginginPublication Data

Jackson, Ronald L., 1970– Scripting the Black masculine body : identity, discourse, and racial politics in popular media / Ronald L. Jackson II. v. cm. — (SUNY series, the negotiation of identity) Includes bibliographical references and index. Contents: Introduction : origins of Black body politics — Scripting the Black body in popular media : exploring process — Black masculine scripts — “If it feels this good gettin’ used” : exploring the hypertext of sexuality — Towards an integrated theory of Black masculinity — Epilogue : the revolution will not be televised. ISBN-13: 978-0-7914-6625-4 (hardcover : alk. paper) ISBN-10: 0-7914-6625-6 (hardcover : alk. paper) ISBN-13: 978-0-7914-6626-1 (pbk. : alk. paper) ISBN-10: 0-7914-6626-4 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. African American men—Social conditions. 2. Masculinity—Political aspects—United States. 3. Body, Human—Social aspects—United States. 4. Body, Human—Political aspects—United States. 5. African Americans—Race identity. 6. African Americans in popular culture. 7. African Americans and mass media. 8. Mass media—Political aspects— United States. 9. Discourse analysis—Political aspects—United States. 10. United States—Race relations. I. Title. II. Series E185.86.J334 2005 305.38'896073—dc22 2005002385 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

To my brother Bruce, my son Niles, my nephew Miles, and all the other men in my family— my father, fatherinlaw, little brother, uncles, and close male friends— that you may seek, find, and develop in yourself the most loving and spiritually imbued manhood you can. May God bless you on this journey!

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Acknowledgments

Contents

Introduction Race and Corporeal Politics

One

Two

Origins of Black Body Politics

Scripting the Black Body in Popular Media: Exploring Process

ThreeBlack Masculine Scripts

Four

Five

“If It Feels This Good Gettin’ Used”: Exploring the Hypertext of Black Sexuality in Hip-Hop Music and Pimp Movies

Toward an Integrated Theory of Black Masculinity

Epilogue “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised”

Notes

References

Index

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Acknowledgments

First, all honor for making this book possible goes to God, who has continu- ally expanded my life. Moreover, I am thankful for my family, and especially for my mother Sharon Prather who has taught me more about being a man than any man ever has. Other strong women in my life who have influenced my manhood are my wife, Ricci Jackson, my late grandmother Thelma Gross, as well as Phyllis Gross, Georgie Jackson, Vanessa Carter, Baola Gould, Mary Haiman, and Mary G. R. Gordon. I am also grateful for the influential men in my life: my father, Ronald L. Jackson, Sr., my brothers Bruce and Tishaun Jackson, as well as Bob Wilson, Brad Hogue, Keith Wilson, Ramone Ford, Carlos Morrison, Maurice Hall, Eric Watts, Shaun Gabbidon, Wayne Gersie, Michael Hecht and the men of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. Additionally, a special thanks goes to James Peltz, Laurie Searl, and Susan Petrie for the acquisition, copyediting, production, and marketing of the book, respectively. I am also grateful to the indexer of this book, David Prout. A special note of gratitude goes to the Africana Research Collaborative for their support toward completion of this book.

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