Author: David J. Leonard File Type: pdf The triple crown of Oscars awarded to Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, and Sidney Poitier on a single evening in 2002 seemed to mark a turning point for African Americans in cinema. Certainly it was hyped as such by the media, eager to overlook the nuances of this sudden embrace. In this new study, author David Leonard uses this event as a jumping-off point from which to discuss the current state of African-American cinema and the various genres that currently compose it. Looking at such recent films as Love and Basketball, Antwone Fisher, Training Day, and the two Barbershop filmsall of which were directed by black artists, and most of which starred and were written by blacks as wellLeonard examines the issues of representation and opportunity in contemporary cinema.In many cases, these films-which walk a line between confronting racial stereotypes and trafficking in them-made a great deal of money while hardly playing to white audiences at all. By examining the ways in which they address the American Dream, racial progress, racial difference, blackness, whiteness, class, capitalism and a host of other issues, Leonard shows that while certainly there are differences between the grotesque images of years past and those that define todays era, the consistency of images across genre and time reflects the lasting power of racism, as well as the black communitys response to it.ReviewIn this study, Leonard examines a sampling of recent African American films in order to assess the extent to which they reflect racial progress or help perpetuate racial inequality and white privilege. Most of the films analyzed were written, directed, and starred by black artists.ullulReference & Research Book NewsArt Book News AnnualThose who buy this polemical book will find it leads to much discussion.ullulChoiceBook DescriptionExamines how African American directors have depicted racial issues since the mid-90s, revealing the ways in which they both consciously avoid and sometimes utilize racial stereotypes.

Author: Michael Shanks File Type: pdf In Experiencing the Past Michael Shanks presents an animated exploration of the character of archaeology and reclaims the sentiment and feeling which is so often lost in the purely academic approach. With the use of illustrations closely associated with the text, he depicts the archaeologist as a skilled interpreter of cultural remains. As the author moves through the debates surrounding heritage and cultural identity, archaeology becomes a cultural kaleidoscope. With perceptive clarity, Shanks considers the key concerns of archaeology in the 1990s and weighs controversial topics such as scientific objectivity and the validity of different claims to the past. The result is an exposition of archaeology as a field of human discernment and understanding, telling of a critical engagement with the material past. The aim of Experiencing the Past is not so much to instruct as to provoke thought and reflection on feelings about the past.