Masaryk University Faculty of Arts Department of English and American Studies English Language and Literature Erich Poncza The Impact of American Minstrelsy on Blackface in Europe Bachelor’s Diploma Thesis Supervisor: Jeffrey Alan Vanderziel, B.A. 2017 I declare that I have worked on this thesis independently, using only the primary and secondary sources listed in the bibliography. …………………………………………….. Author’s signature 1 I would like to thank my supervisor Jeffrey Alan Vanderziel, B.A. for his guidance and help in the process of writing my bachelor´s theses. 2 Table of Contents Introduction……………………………………………………………..………....……5 1. Stereotyping………………………………………..…….………………..………….6 2. Origins of Blackface………………………………………………….…….……….10 3. Blackface Caricatures……………………………………………………………….13 Sambo………………………………………………………….………………14 Coon…………………………………………………………………….……..15 Pickaninny……………………………………………………………………..17 Jezebel…………………………………………………………………………18 Savage…………………………………………………………………………22 Brute……………………………………………………….………........……22 4. European Blackface and Stereotypes…………………………..……….….……....26 Minstrelsy in England…………………………………………………………28 Imagery………………………………………………………………………..31 Blackface………………………………………………………..…………….36 Czech Blackface……………………………………………………………….40 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………….44 Images…………………………………………………………………………………46 Works Cited………………………………………………………………….………..52 Summary………………………………………………………….……………………59 Resumé……………………………………………………………………..………….60 3 Introduction Blackface is a practice that involves people, mostly white, painting their faces black. It has its roots in Europe but it was America that popularized this as a form of entertainment. It has two aspects. The actual act of painting ones face black and then the stereotypical archetypes of blacks that are inseparably tied to the blackface performances popularized by the Minstrels. These stereotypes shaped beliefs and opinions about blacks since 1823 when Thomas D. Rice for the first time appeared on the stage of Bowery Theater in New York. After that the minstrel shows quickly surfaced as one of the first native forms of American entertainment. Even today notions about African Americans that emerged during the nineteenth century are still very much alive. The thesis will describe how the Minstrel imagery and the stereotypical archetypes, which were systematically defined in the America, influenced the way in which African Americans are depicted and portrayed in Europe. The spheres of interest will be the imagery, the literary sources, and the traditions that include depictions of African Americans in Europe. These depictions will then be compared to the stereotypical depictions of blacks in America throughout its history. Another important part of the research will also be the actual custom of blacking one's face within the European culture and how this customs relate to the American form of blackface. The European countries that the work will be focusing on are those that were involved in the imperial past and were connected to the slave trade. Images and stereotypes from these countries will be compared to the Czech Republic that had no direct part in the slave trade and was therefore not directly influenced by the stereotypes exported from America. 4 The first chapter of this thesis describes the process of stereotyping. In the following two chapters the main focus will be on the role that the Minstrel shows played in the creation of blackface caricatures and anti-black stereotypes. The main focus of the last chapter will be on how this practice shaped perception and depiction of Africans Americans in Europe. The European literature concerning African Americans alongside with imagery and the European blackface traditions will be put into a parallel with the stereotypes and caricatures that arose during the era of American Minstrelsy. Also the imagery of countries that were historically involved in slave trade and imperialism will be compared to the imagery appearing in the Czech Republic in order to evaluate to what extent is the spread of the stereotypes influenced by the slave trade itself and in which form were the stereotypes imported form America to Europe. 5 1. Stereotyping Stereotypes were and still are an important factor in shaping the racial attitudes. Our consciousness, in order to avoid a sensory overload, encodes the hugely complex external world into the simplified patterns and categories (MacMaster 59). The process of “othering” is how stereotypes operate. From a concrete perspective we evaluate certain groups of people or cultures, different from us, and position them into a fixed place (Pickering 47). The idea of racially backward and culturally inferior societies emerged through the sense of the advancement that the western world possessed - the societies that were perceived as inferior by the western standards became the Other (Pickering 51). Racial stereotypes carry a certain perceptions of the Other – even though they have a minimal relationship to the external world and its reality. Despite being made of distorted images and ideas they are perceived as real (MacMaster 59). “So powerfully can stereotypes substitute for reality that the racist can see both black and Jew, even when they are directly perceived, qualities the very opposite of those that are being observed” (MacMaster 59). Stereotypes are considered inaccurate because they attribute certain propensities, dispositions and patterns of behaviors to a certain groups that are then, through the stereotypes, perceived as homogenuous entities (Pickering 4). This leads to the mindset that views members of these groups mainly through the stereotypical characteristics of that group while suppressing the perception of the real characteristics and traits of the individuals. The scientist’s discovered evidence of the possibility that the negative stereotypes about African Americans that are labeling them as carefree and indolent are strengthened by the perceived socioeconomic disparities between whites and blacks. “The lower the perceived economic status of minority groups, the greater the tendency 6 of whites to rate the dispositional traits of minorities unfavorably” (Timothy 403). When whites perceive blacks in the subsidiary position in the society – in their minds they accept the stereotypes as the cause of this unfavorable position (Timothy 403). There are several possible social motives that stand behind the creation and proliferation of stereotypes. Throughout history of mankind people were dependent on one another. Being on a good terms with others from one´s ingroup is a necessity – his live depends on them. The tendency to adhere to the others from one´s environment might be seen as a “biological predisposition” (Fiske 305). Outgroup members incite fear of the unknown while people from our social circles represent the safe harbor in people´s minds. The need for belonging is the main social motive – people strive to create rapport with other people because their physical safety and wellbeing stems directly from their social life. Therefore people are driven to put an effort into strengthening their interpersonal relationships. Along with the creation of these relationships also arises a need to understand people around us in depth and not only through lenses of “stereotypical approximation” that leads to labeling and generalizing others (Fiske 305). One that is trying to belong also accepts values of those around him – including stereotypes. “More broadly, people motivated to belong will comply with perceived group norms regarding expressing or not expressing stereotypes” (Fiske 306). In order to fit in people tend to adjust their opinions, worldviews and behavior in order to fit in. It is necessary for one´s smooth existence as a part of a larger whole to get the insight into the nature of other members of one´s community. When people see someone they analyze him and start to ascribe certain labels to that person. “… people detect each other´s probable gender, race, and age within milliseconds of meeting, and they especially quickly identify group members” (Fiske 306). People´s perception is 7 creating more positive feedback when their meet someone from their ingroup – and even more readily when it comes to labeling. The response to the outgroup members is slower. (Fiske 306). When it comes to groups that differ in some aspects from the norm there is a tendency to linguistically mark them – the speed of their categorization is higher than in the case of the groups that do not carry such labels. For example gender is ascribed to women more than to men and the same goes for the skin color. The property of race is perceived more in blacks than whites because whiteness is considered as a standard state of being (Fiske 307). Another social motive is the drive to boost one´s self-esteem which is beneficial for happy existence as a part of a group. For example the members of group targeted by stereotypes can improve their confidence by identifying the negative opinions as a prejudice. The threat to unhealthily high groups self-esteem can lead to increase of prejudice and discrimination that group. This may result in discrepancy between how one perceive his own group and the outgroup (Fiske310). “One´s own group members allegedly experience an array of complex human emotions, whereas outgroup members experience only the primitive primary emotions of animals” (Fiske 310). Trusting as a social motive stems from the need for mutual trust when cooperating with others. This automatic anticipation