Beyond Racial Stereotypes: Subversive Subtexts in Cabin in the Sky

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dc.contributor.advisorKing, Richarden_US
dc.contributor.authorWeber, Kate Marieen_US
dc.contributor.departmentMusicen_US
dc.contributor.publisherDigital Repository at the University of Marylanden_US
dc.contributor.publisherUniversity of Maryland (College Park, Md.)en_US
dc.date.accessioned2008-10-11T05:52:32Z
dc.date.available2008-10-11T05:52:32Z
dc.date.issued2008-09-02en_US
dc.description.abstractThe 1943 film Cabin in the Sky holds an important place in cinematic history as one of the first "all-Negro" pictures produced by a major Hollywood studio. The movie musical reflects a transitional period in American racial politics and popular culture, when long-established stereotypes and themes associated with blackness were still prevalent, but were shifting to reflect more progressive attitudes. On the surface, Cabin seems to reinforce reductive and conventional notions. It presents a folkloric story of Southern blacks, the corrupting influence of modern urbanity, and the redemptive power of marital devotion and religious piety--replete with the entire pantheon of Negro caricatures. Upon careful analysis, however, the film's stereotypical topics are rendered superficial by subversive undercurrents. In addition, Ethel Waters' appearance as herself exposes the story and characters as fictional constructs, and paves the way for a more liberal image of blackness to emerge.en_US
dc.format.extent803564 bytes
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/8604
dc.language.isoen_US
dc.subject.pqcontrolledMusicen_US
dc.subject.pqcontrolledBlack Studiesen_US
dc.subject.pqcontrolledAmerican Studiesen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledmusicalen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledfilmen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledCabin in the Skyen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledracial stereotypesen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledblacken_US
dc.titleBeyond Racial Stereotypes: Subversive Subtexts in Cabin in the Skyen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US

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