Women, Film and Racial Thinking: Exploring the Representation and Reception of Interracial Romance
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WOMEN, FILM AND RACIAL THINKING: EXPLORING THE REPRESENTATION AND RECEPTION OF INTERRACIAL ROMANCE Carole Viola Bell A dissertation submitted to the faculty of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partial fulfillment of the requirements for degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Chapel Hill 2010 Approved by: Dr. Anne Johnston (Chair) Dr. Jane Brown Dr. Robert Entman Dr. Marco Steenbergen Dr. Lucila Vargas Dr. Trevy McDonald ©2009 Carole Viola Bell ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ii Abstract Carole Viola Bell Women, Film and Racial Thinking: Exploring the Representation and Reception of Interracial Romance (Under the direction of Dr. Anne Johnston) At the height of the civil rights movement, the symbolic struggle inherent in interracial images was plainly visible in the picket lines and protests attracted by movies like Island in the Sun (1957). More than 50 years later, such demonstrations are long gone, but the Black- White interracial couple is still a figure imbued with personal and political significance. Recognizing this enduring importance and the complicated relationship between race and sexuality in American culture, the purpose of this dissertation was to explicate the beliefs about race that are implicated in Hollywood depictions of Black-White interracial romantic relationships and to understand how young women of different backgrounds make sense of these perspectives. To that end, this research employed a mixed methods approach combining quantitative and qualitative content analysis and focus groups, all aimed at the goal of illuminating the representation and reception of supportive and critical messages about race relations and interracial relationships in popular films produced since 1954. The content analysis affirmed that the representation of interracial couples in American films has often been observably and quantifiably problematic as theorized, a finding that contradicts Hollywood's ostensibly egalitarian and liberal ideological bent. Despite marked social change during the period studied, certain negative tropes of interracial interaction remain prominent across long periods of time--especially the association of interracial relationships with social costs, the tendency to present the interracial romance as one that is less likely to be long lasting and fully realized, and the iii near ubiquitous association of interracial romance with violence. There was also a surprising emphasis on African American resistance to these relationships in particular in a wide variety of these films. Nonetheless, there were important distinctions in representation in certain periods and evidence of racially egalitarian messaging in a minority of these interracial depictions. Moreover, in the past decade filmmakers have produced more and less problematic portrayals of interracial relationships than in previous ones. At the same time, the focus groups revealed distinct differences in how young women of different racial backgrounds respond to these ideologically charged film depictions of interracial couples. Although our differences are now more subtle or even concealed, these conversations reflect the reality that deep and important social cleavages remain across racial lines even among the youngest Americans, and these differences yield markedly different patterns of attention to and interpretation of interracial film narratives. The audience study also indicated that there are real dangers to stories that exaggerate one group's culpability in a social problem and negate another's, as so often happens in interracial film depictions. The unintended consequence of telling these stories of race and romance is that they may tend to further implicate the attitudes and actions of some in our ongoing racial conflicts (especially African Americans), while ignoring those of others (in this case Whites). Within this research context, the result was that Black audiences had their fears confirmed by viewing a negative, conflict-oriented interracial film depiction, and their hopes of social inclusion encouraged in viewing a more racially liberal or egalitarian one. White participants, however, were from the start less connected to issues related to racial struggle. For them, both stories seemed to exacerbate existing racial concerns and provide justification for already problematic and polarizing preconceptions about why Whites and Blacks in America remain so far apart. iv Dedication This dissertation is dedicated to the Minter and Smyers families and all those whose loving examples have helped to more inclusively define what normal means. v Acknowledgments This dissertation owes much to the work of those who came before me and the generosity of those who supported me while the project was being completed. I acknowledge the importance of many scholarly works to my own research in the body of the dissertation, as well as in the notes and bibliography, but certain works have been especially significant and are worthy of particular attention here. Principal among these are Entman and Rojecki’s The Black Image in the White Mind and Thomas Wartenberg’s Unlikely couples: Movie Romance as Social Criticism. Discovering the latter reassured me that this topic, which had so long interested me on a personal level, had serious merit as an area of academic pursuit. It also helped me develop the ideas that form the basis for this work. Several people helped me in the research, writing, and thinking through of the interlocking strands of race and gender that inform this project. Chief among these is Dr. Anne Johnston, Professor and Associate Dean for Graduate Studies at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. As my dissertation advisor, Dr. Johnston has taught me by example how to be a supportive mentor, academic and scholar. This project owes much to Dr. Johnston’s expert guidance, high standards, and generous spirit. Dr. Robert Entman, J.B. & Maurice C. Shapiro Professor of Media & Public Affairs in the School of Media & Public Affairs at The George Washington University, also deserves a great deal of the credit for the completion of this study, possibly more than I can express. On many occasions, Dr. Entman’s steadfast support and insightful critique provided the momentum I needed to work through the challenges this study entailed. vi My other dissertation committee members have contributed substantially to my work and my education. I am lucky and grateful to have worked with them. They are Dr. Jane Brown, James L. Knight Professor and Dr. Lucila Vargas, Professor, in our School of Journalism and Mass Communication and Dr. Marco Steenbergen, formerly of UNC’s Department of Political Science and now Professor of Political Sociology and Political Psychology, University of Bern. I am also fortunate to have the participation of Dr. Trevy McDonald, Assistant Professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, who so generously agreed to be an additional reader in the final stages of this project and whose expertise in race and media is a great resource. Furthermore, I am indebted to the knowledgeable and efficient library staffs of Davis and Park Libraries here at UNC-Chapel Hill and to Dr. Kimberly Gross, Associate Professor of The School of Media and Public Affairs at The George Washington University, who was one of my early and most helpful readers. Special thanks should also go to my content analysis coders and former students, Claire Low and Eric Walker, who provided the bulk of the detailed data that forms the basis for the content analysis presented in Chapter 3. As wonderful as this academic team was, this dissertation could not have been completed without the support of the friends and family who have provided me with support and stability during the writing process, especially my Mother, Beulah Martin, stepfather, Carlton Martin, Aunt Dr. Constance Hines, and father Mitchie Bell. My friends also provided immeasurable moral support, faith, and distraction whenever I needed it. My close and treasured friends, Keisha Phipps, Kellie Magnus, and Frances Ross and Robyn Minter Smyers sustained me when my attention and determination waned. Robyn in particular knows my habits and work better than anyone and offered the kindest support and much needed confidence whenever mine flagged. vii Table of Contents List of Tables and Figures............................................................................................ xi List of Illustrations ........................................................................................................xii Part I: Background ..................................................................................................................1 The Political Implications of Interracial Romance......................................................3 Symbolic Politics and “Epoch Making, Precedent Shattering American History”......5 Study Organization....................................................................................................7 Chapter 1: Theories of Race, Representation and Audience Reception ....................10 Why We Still Care About Interracial Marriage -- The Case for the Present Study ..10 Private Matters, Public Discord: the Social History and Contemporary Facts of Interracial Marriage in America; ..............................................................................14 The Importance and Scarcity of Entertainment Studies in Political Communication18 How