RTF 386 – Beyond Binaries: Mixed Race Representation and Critical Theory |
RTF 386 – Beyond Binaries: Mixed Race Representation and Critical Theory
University of Texas, Austin
Spring 2012
Mary Beltrán, Associate Professor of Media Studies
This graduate seminar surveys historical and critical and cultural studies scholarship on the evolution of mixed race in U.S. film and media culture. American histories, cultures, and identities have traditionally been understood through rubrics of racial binaries and negations. Given this tradition, characters of mixed racial and ethnic heritage and interracial romances have served as powerful symbols within mediated story worlds, while mixed-race actors also seen be seen to highlight fault lines in the nation’s and Hollywood’s construction of race. We’ll explore the growing body of scholarship analyzing the evolution of mixed-race representation within film, media, and celebrity culture and its implications with respect to past and contemporary notions of race and the increasingly diverse U.S. audience.
Tags: Mary Beltrán, Mary C. Beltrán, University of Texas