Category: Communications/Media Studies

  • Using cultural theory, author R. Bruce Brasell investigates issues surrounding the discursive presentation of the American South as biracial and explores its manifestation in documentary films, including such works as “Tell about the South,” “bro•ken/ground,” and “Family Name.”

  • African American Exceptionalism and the Truth Behind the Rage over Zoe Saldaña Playing Nina Simone Upliftt: Latinos in Film, TV and Theater 2015-11-09 William Garcia In a recent article from the Huffington Post, Zoe Saldaña talks about the Nina Simone biopic that has been controversial all over the Black blogospheres. Saldaña said: “the people behind…

  • Medicalizing Racism Contexts Fall 2014, Volume 13, Number 4 pages 24-29 DOI: 10.1177/1536504214558213 James M. Thomas, Assistant Professor of Sociology Department of Sociology and Anthropology University of Mississippi Cassandra Conlin Sociologist James M. Thomas (JT) examines how public and scientific accounts of racism draw upon medical and psychological models, and how this contributes to our…

  • Ah, yes: freedom of speech. What some really mean when they evoke it is, “my right to have my say and not have you talk back,” like all of those crybabies who have cancelled their appearances at commencement ceremonies in the last few years because not every student and faculty member greeted their future appearance…

  • “Generation Mix:” Is All This Talk of “Multiracialism” An Advance? i MiX WHAT i LiKE The Real News 2015-11-12 Jared A. Ball, Host/Producer and Associate Professor of Communication Studies Morgan State University, Baltimore, Maryland Artist, activist and creator of the multimedia comic book (H)afrocentric Juliana “Jules” Smith and Dr. Rainier Spencer, author of Reproducing Race: The…

  • At Last …?: Michelle Obama, Beyoncé, Race & History Dædalus Winter 2011, Volume 140, Number 1 Posted Online 2011-03-09 pages 131-141 DOI: 10.1162/DAED_a_00065 Farah J. Griffin, William B. Ransford Professor of English and Comparative Literature and African-American Studies Columbia University In this essay, Griffin brings to the fore two extraordinary black women of our age:…

  • Look! A Zombie! Race and Passing in ‘iZombie’ PopMatters 2015-10-30 Rukmini Pande University of Western Australia iZombie’s “passing” narrative complicates its broader racial politics. As the fall season of US TV swings into gear, the CW’s undead caper iZombie seems poised for an interesting second outing. Helmed by Rob Thomas (of Veronica Mars fame), the…

  • Korean TV networks move to oust discrimination against gender, race The Korean Herald 2015-10-18 Claire Lee A much-criticized scene from MBC’s “Three Wheels,” where two female comedians appeared in blackface in 2012. Photo: MBC Screengrab In 2012, South Korea’s public broadcaster MBC sparked outrage among international viewers when it aired a segment of two Korean…

  • Tired of Tradition, Honey Maid’s Marketing Chief Chose to Put the Spotlight on Modern Families Adweek 2015-10-18 T.L. Stanley Gary Osifchin, Honey Maid portfolio lead, Mondelez Photo: Sasha Maslov Adweek’s 2015 Brand Genius winner for CPG/food It always seemed strange to Gary Osifchin that the characters in traditional advertising were so, well, traditional. “There was…

  • Brazilian television slowly confronts country’s deeply entrenched race issues The Guardian 2015-10-07 Bruce Douglas Rio de Janeiro Mister Brau features a black couple known as Brazil’s Jay Z and Beyoncé in the lead roles – an unprecedented move in a country whose majority black population has long been sidelined in its leading leisure-time industry In…