Sarah Nilsen – författare

The Brussels World's Fair was perhaps the most important propaganda event to be staged for European allies in the Eisenhower years; his administration viewed culture as a weapon in the battle against communism. This book examines the critical role of film in the information war waged against the Soviets in the American pavilion at the fair. The administration sought to create a visual rendition of America that was arresting and inspirational; film was used as a method of political persuasion.

The election of President Barack Obama signaled for many therealization of a post-racial America, a nation in which racism was no longer adefining social, cultural, and political issue. While many Americans espouse a"colorblind" racial ideology and publicly endorse the broad goals ofintegration and equal treatment without regard to race, in actuality thisattitude serves to reify and legitimize racism and protects racial privilegesby denying and minimizing the effects of systematic and institutionalizedracism.In The Colorblind Screen, the contributors examinetelevision's role as the major discursive medium in the articulation andcontestation of racialized identities in the United States. While the dominantmode of televisual racialization has shifted to a "colorblind" ideology thatforegrounds racial differences in order to celebrate multiculturalassimilation, the volume investigates how this practice denies the significantsocial, economic, and political realities and inequalities that continue todefine race relations today. Focusing on such iconic figures as PresidentObama, LeBron James, and Oprah Winfrey, many chapters examine the ways in whichrace is read by television audiences and fans. Other essays focus on how visualconstructions of race in dramas like 24, Sleeper Cell, and The Wantedcontinue to conflate Arab and Muslim identities in post-9/11 television. Thevolume offers an important intervention in the study of the televisualrepresentation of race, engaging with multiple aspects of the mythologiesdeveloping around notions of a "post-racial" America and the duplicitousdiscursive rationale offered by the ideology of colorblindness.

The election of President Barack Obama signaled for many therealization of a post-racial America, a nation in which racism was no longer adefining social, cultural, and political issue. While many Americans espouse a"colorblind" racial ideology and publicly endorse the broad goals ofintegration and equal treatment without regard to race, in actuality thisattitude serves to reify and legitimize racism and protects racial privilegesby denying and minimizing the effects of systematic and institutionalizedracism.In The Colorblind Screen, the contributors examinetelevision's role as the major discursive medium in the articulation andcontestation of racialized identities in the United States. While the dominantmode of televisual racialization has shifted to a "colorblind" ideology thatforegrounds racial differences in order to celebrate multiculturalassimilation, the volume investigates how this practice denies the significantsocial, economic, and political realities and inequalities that continue todefine race relations today. Focusing on such iconic figures as PresidentObama, LeBron James, and Oprah Winfrey, many chapters examine the ways in whichrace is read by television audiences and fans. Other essays focus on how visualconstructions of race in dramas like 24, Sleeper Cell, and The Wantedcontinue to conflate Arab and Muslim identities in post-9/11 television. Thevolume offers an important intervention in the study of the televisualrepresentation of race, engaging with multiple aspects of the mythologiesdeveloping around notions of a "post-racial" America and the duplicitousdiscursive rationale offered by the ideology of colorblindness.

This book explores representations of race and ethnicity in contemporary cinema and the ways in which these depictions all too often promulgate an important racial ideology: the myth of colorblindness.  Colorblindness is a discursive framework employed by mainstream, neoliberal media to celebrate a multicultural society while simultaneously disregarding its systemic and institutionalized racism. This collection is unique in its examination of such films as Ex Machina, The Lone Ranger, The Blind Side, Zootopia, The Fast and the Furious franchise, and Dope, which celebrate the myth of colorblindness, yet perpetuate and entrench the racism and racial inequities that persist in contemporary society.  While the #OscarsSoWhite movement has been essential to bringing about structural changes to media industries and offers the opportunity for a wide diversity of voices to alter and transform the dominant, colorblind narratives continue to proliferate.  As this book demonstrates, Hollywood still has a long way to go.

This book explores representations of race and ethnicity in contemporary cinema and the ways in which these depictions all too often promulgate an important racial ideology: the myth of colorblindness.  Colorblindness is a discursive framework employed by mainstream, neoliberal media to celebrate a multicultural society while simultaneously disregarding its systemic and institutionalized racism. This collection is unique in its examination of such films as Ex Machina, The Lone Ranger, The Blind Side, Zootopia, The Fast and the Furious franchise, and Dope, which celebrate the myth of colorblindness, yet perpetuate and entrench the racism and racial inequities that persist in contemporary society.  While the #OscarsSoWhite movement has been essential to bringing about structural changes to media industries and offers the opportunity for a wide diversity of voices to alter and transform the dominant, colorblind narratives continue to proliferate.  As this book demonstrates, Hollywood still has a long way to go.