White Lies and Allies in Contemporary Black Media

FAIN: FT-285849-22

Emily Ruth Rutter
Ball State University (Muncie, IN 47306-1022)

Research and writing of a book about the ways in which directors and screenwriters centralize complex Black protagonists while also training the gaze on would-be white allies.

In recent years, white allyship has become a contested concept not only in the body politic but also among Black creators. “White (Al)lies in Contemporary Black Media” considers the ways in which directors and screenwriters Issa Rae, Spike Lee, Justin Simien, and Jordan Peele, as well as poet-playwright Claudia Rankine, centralize complex Black protagonists while also training a Black gaze on would-be white allies. As I argue, these directors and writers play key roles both in evincing the insidious manifestations of white hegemony that coalesce around the figure of the white ally and in glimpsing possibilities for whites to become co-conspirators in the struggle for racial justice. During an era in which concerns with white liberal complicity in anti-Black racism are of paramount importance, “White (Al)lies” promises to engage a diverse array of readers in the project of dismantling white dominance internally, interpersonally, ideologically, and institutionally.

Associated Products

White Lies and Allies in Contemporary Black Media (Book)
Title: White Lies and Allies in Contemporary Black Media
Author: Emily Ruth Rutter
Abstract: White Lies and Allies in Contemporary Black Media examines the ways in which prominent figures such as Issa Rae, Spike Lee, Justin Simien, Jordan Peele, and Donald Glover centralize complex Black protagonists in their work while also training a Black gaze on would-be White allies. Emily R. Rutter highlights how these Black creators represent both performative White allyship and the potential for true White antiracist allyship, while also examining the reasons why Black creators utilize the white ally trope in the wider context of the film and television industries. During an era in which concerns with White liberal complicity in anti-Black racism are of paramount importance, Rutter explores how these films and televisions shows, and their creators, contribute to the wider project of dismantling internal, interpersonal, ideological, and institutional White hegemony.
Year: 2023
Primary URL Description: https://www.routledge.com/White-Lies-and-Allies-in-Contemporary-Black-Media/Rutter/p/book/9781032271743
Secondary URL: http://emilyruthrutter.com
Publisher: Routledge
Type: Single author monograph
ISBN: 1032271744
Copy sent to NEH?: Yes

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