Whiteness and the Visual Appropriation of Race in 1980s Britain

1. Auflage 2025
ISBN: 978-1-032-89716-5
Verlag: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Buch, Englisch, 202 Seiten, Format (B × H): 174 mm x 246 mm

Reihe: Routledge Research in Art and Race

This volume delves into the complex topic of race relations in 1980s Britain by examining the concept of ‘whiteness’ and how it was portrayed visually in popular art and mass media.

Chapters explore pivotal moments in which the appropriation of race occurred during this critical decade as they relate to the nation’s evolving postcolonial identity. This book analyses pivotal cultural moments in print media, fashion, film, television, music video, art, and live events that exemplify how race, gender, and sexuality became operative in the way Britain imagined itself in this crucial decade. It contends that the lens of its former colonial empire played a significant role in shaping Britain’s self-image throughout the 1980s despite its appearance as a postcolonial and multicultural nation.

The book will be of interest to scholars working in art history, visual culture, media studies, cultural studies, and critical race theory.

Zielgruppe

Postgraduate and Undergraduate Advanced

Autoren/Hrsg.

Polsky, Stephanie

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Ethnologie | Volkskunde Volkskunde Minderheiten, Interkulturelle & Multikulturelle Fragen
• Geisteswissenschaften Kunst Kunstgeschichte Kunstgeschichte: 20./21. Jahrhundert Pop Art, Minimalismus

Inhaltsverzeichnis

List of Figures

Preface: The Jouney from Visual Appropriation towards Racialised Whiteness in 1980s Britain

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Introduction: The Way We Weren't: Whiteness and the Representational Extension of Colonial Legacies

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Withstand and Deliver: Colonial Nostalgia in the Manufacture of New Romantics

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Born in London: The Face Magazine and the Birth of Racial Consciousness in British Youth Culture

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We Are the World: Britannia Rules Live Aid

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Of Thin White Dukes and Little China Girls: The Orientalism of the British New Wave

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White Mischief: Colonial Melancholia in Art

- Conclusion: The Way Forward Is Often the Way Back (Brexit Edition)

Über Autor(innen)

Stephanie Polsky is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Social Sciences and Cultural Studies at Pratt Institute.