The Discourse Of Difference: The Representation of Black Mrican Characters in English Renaissance Drama A Thesis Submitted to the College of Graduate Studies and Research in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of English University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon, Canada BY Jolly Rwanyonga Mazimhaka Fa11 1997 @ Copyright Jolly Rwanyonga Mazimhaka, 1997. 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Neither the droit d'auteur qui protège cette thèse. thesis nor substantial extracts fiom it Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or othewise de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimés reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. UNIVERSITY OF SASKATCHEWAN COLLEGE OF GRADUATE STUDfES AND RESEARCH Summary of the Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY JOLLY RWANYONGA MAZIMHAKA Department of English EXAMlNlNG COMMIlTEE: Dr. William W.E. Slights (Supewisor, Department of English) Dr. Camille W. SligMs (Department of English) Dr. Susan Gingell (Department of English) Dr. David Atkinson (Dean, College of Arts & Science) Dr. C. Kent (Dean's Designate. Chair. College of Graduate Studies & Research) EXTERNAL EXAMINER: . 01-VirginiaVaughan Department of English Clark University Worcester, MA THESIS THE DISCOURSE OF CEFERENCE: THE REPRESENTATION OF BUCK AFRICAN CHARACTERS IN ENGLISH RENAISSANCE DRAMA The view of black Africans that ernerges from Renaissance drama is shaped entirely by the stereotype, and is overwhelmingly negative. There is a general lack of interest, within Renaissance scholarship, to question or challenge the stereotype as a major organizing principle in shaping negative images of African dramatic characters. My argument is that the stereotype is a powerful tool in the hands of self-interested parties, and must be recognized as capable of maiming and distorting the reality of those it sets out to construct, as the one-sided, eurocentric representations of African characters in Renaissance drama reveal. With this idea in mind, Chapter One reviews the history of European attitudes to black skin colour, focusing on England's public displays of other nations, cultures. and people, on the visual art tradition, and mainly on English Renaissance travel literature which, 1 believe, was the largest single influence on dramatists' imaginations. The chapter establishes that English anti-black polemics or the stereotyping of black Africans was heightened and crueller dunng the Renaissance, largely because constructions of otherness were a big part of England's self-fashioning. Chapter Two explores traditional meanings of blackness as well as the aesthetic and moral aspects of otherness, and attempts to show how the stereotypical assurnptions and value judgements encoded in the rhetoric of blackness are ii allegorically manipulated to suit the needs of Christian England while Africa suffers erasure. Chapters Three and Four foreground the idea that the physicaf presence of black African characters on the stage becomes a sign of an entire set of actual and imagined differences by which England constructs her view of Africans as prime, visible signifiers of cultural difference. Chapter Four goes a step further and looks at those dramatic texts in which seemingly fixed categories are revealed as unstable, especially when overlaps in race. gender, and social rank corne into play. The representation of black African characters on the English Renaissance stage thus reveals a definite correlation between the dominant culture's fears and anxieties over the perceived threat posed by the black African other, its insistence on a self-representation as a distinctly superior culture, and its subsequent and systematic production of Africa and Africans as indelibly other. For the dominant culture to be able to define, produce, and maintain itself as superior, it must, of necessity, strive to keep the other in a position of chronic inferiority, hence the persistent appeal to the stereotype. iii In presenting this thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Postgraduate degree from the ~niversity of Saskatchewan, 1 agree that the Libraries of this University may make it freely available for inspection. 1 Eurther agree that permission for copying of this thesis in any manner, in whole or in part, for scholarly purposes may be granted by the professor or professors who supervised my thesis work or, in their absence, by the Head of the Department or the Dean of the College in which my thesis work was done. It is understood that any copying or publication or use of this thesis or parts thereof for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. It is also understood that due recognition shall be given to me and to the University of Saskatchewan in any scholarly use which may be made of any material in my thesis. Requests for permission to copy or to make other use of material in this thesis in whole or part should be addressed to: Head of the Department of English University of Saskatchewan 9 Campus Drive Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Canada S7N 5A5 ABSTRACT The view of black Africans that emerges from Renaissance drama is shaped entirely by stereotypes, and is overwhelmingly negative. There is a general reluctance in the scholarly community to challenge the stereotype as a major organising principle in shaping negative images of African dramatic characters. My argument is that the stereotype is a powerful tool in the hands of self- interested parties, and must be recognised as capable of maiming and distorting the experiences of those it sets out to construct, as the one-sided, eurocentric representations of African characters in Renaissance drama reveal. Chapter One reviews the history of European attitudes to black skin colour, focusing briefly on Englandrs public displays of other nations, cultures, and people, on the visual art tradition, and mainly on English Renaissance travel literature which, 1 believe, was the largest single influence on dramatistsr imaginations. The chapter establishes that English anti-black polemics and the stereotyping of black Africans was heightened during the Renaissance, mainly because constructions of otherness were a large part of England's national self-fashioning. Chapter Two explores traditional meanings of blackness as well as the aesthetic and moral aspects of otherness, and attempts to show how the stereotypical assumptions and value judgments encoded in the rhetoric of blackness are allegorically manipulated to suit the needs of Christian England while Africa suffers erasure. Chapters Three and Four foreground the idea that the physical presence of black African characters on the stage becomes a sign of an entire set of actual and imagined differences by which England constructs her view of Africans as prime, visible signifiers of cultural difference. Chapter Four goes a step further and looks at those dramatic texts in which seemingly fixed categories are revealed as unstable, especially when overlaps in race, gender, and social rank corne into play. The representation of black African characters on the English Renaissance stage thus reveals a definite correlation between the dominant culture's fears and anxieties over the perceived threat posed by the black African other, its insistence on a self-representation as a distinctly superior culture, and its subsequent and systematic production of Africa and Africans as indelibly other. For the dominant culture to be able to define, produce, and maintain itself as superior, it must, of necessity, strive to keep the other in a position of chronic inferiority, hence the persistent appeal to stereotypes. iii Acknowledgments 1 would like to express my sincere thanks to the Department of English and the College of Graduate Studies and Research for the Scholarships and the Teaching Fellowships, without which the completion of this thesis might not have been possible; and to Dr. W.W.E. Slights for his timely Research Assistantship. 1 also wish to acknowledge Dr David Parkinson; Dr. Doug Thorpe, Graduate Chair, English Department; my Advisory Cornittee, Drs. William W. E. Slights, Camille W. Slights, Susan Gingell, and (especially) the Dean of Arts and Science, Dr. David Atkinson, for their contribution, directly or indirectly, in making it possible for me to obtain funding at a most critical stage in the writing of this thesis. 1 am particularly indebted to my supervisor, Dr, William W.E. Slights, who has patiently advised and guided me thxough the course of researching and writing of this thesis. His understanding, encouragement, support, and wide knowledge of the Renaissance period, have been a tremendous source of inspiration. 1 am also grateful for his generosity in providing me with printing facilities for the final copy of this thesis, and for going the extra mile beyond the cal1 of duty. There are several people whom 1 feel honoured and truly blessed to have had in my life, and who have all, through their friendship, kindness, and generosity contributed to making life's pressures easier to handle, and my life in Canada an altogether enriching, worthwhile experience. 1 would first like to thank Susan Gingell who, not only first encouraged me to pursue a Ph.D programme, but has also been there for me through thick and thin.