Recontextualizing the Historical Reception of Blaxploitation: Articulations of Class, Black Nationalism, and Anxiety in the Genre’s Advertisements.

Kraszewski, Jon. 2002. Recontextualizing the Historical Reception of Blaxploitation: Articulations of Class, Black Nationalism, and Anxiety in the Genre’s Advertisements. The Velvet Light Trap (University of Texas Press). 50: 48-61

Kraszweski focuses his textual analysis on advertisements associated with blaxploitation and their role in developing (and often times reaffirming) stereotypes of African-Americans by highlighting issues of racial identity, the desire for middle-class wealth, and black male identity. Much of the advertisements (which featured mainly African-American men in positions of wealth and power) focused on perceptions of black identity within the realms of a black nationalistic thread, which was met with resistance and anxiety by middle-class white America (and middle-class African-Americans). There is also a brief discussion of magazines and articles published by African-Americans that were very critical of these films and their less-than-positive portrayal of African-Americans, including the advertisements for those films.

Although Kraszewski’s peer-reviewed article focuses on advertisements of blaxploitation films, it gives us a basis for the discussion of the perceptions of racial ideologies and class that blaxploitation films often addressed. Where the article lacks, however, is in the discussion of perceptions of gender (particularly in regards to African-American women). There is extensive discussion on advertisements focusing on issues of social mobility and stereotypes of violent black men and none of the advertisements that Kraszewski chooses to examine feature black women in lead roles. In addition, some of the advertisements that he examines often have women featured (prominently or in the background). Furthermore, Kraszewski chooses to purposely ignore this issue altogether and admits toward the end of the article that blaxploitation with female leads have often been ignored (59).  

I feel that this opens the door for a more extensive discussion of the perceptions of African-American women in blaxploitation. How do their images and film reflect the position of African-American women during a time in society where many African-American women were involved in feminist movements, nationalistic movements, and were gaining upward mobility?