Blackness Personified

Blackness Personified examines media representations of U.S. Blackness in post-reunification Germany. It explains how images create common narratives about race that are shared across linguistic, cultural, and geographic borders. It demonstrates how the media visually configures and defines Blackness and national belonging. Using principles of rhetorical theory, visual rhetoric, and critical race and ethnic studies, this book illustrates how the media can exacerbate racial misperceptions and stereotypes even when the intent is celebration, not denigration. It is a textual argument for the rejection of colorblindness in our increasingly multi-racial, multi-ethnic societies. It explores: How do media representations of U.S. Blackness create tropes and stereotypes about Blackness? How are those visual definitions globally adopted and circulated? Blackness Personified illustrates how racial bias travels, takes root, and impacts the world, no translation needed.