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Events
Jun. 30 | 2012 Bode-Pearson Prize
Nominations for the 2012 Bode-Pearson Prize for Outstanding Contributions to American Studies due
Jun. 30 | 2012 Mary C. Turpie Prize
Nominations for the 2012 Mary C. Turpie Prize for Outstanding Contributions to American Studies Teaching, Advising, and Program Development due
Oct. 1 | Travel Grants for Graduate Students
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Resources: Abstracts of American Studies Dissertations
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Sims, Yvonne. "From Mammies to Action Heroines: Female Empowerment in Black Popular Cinema," American Cultural Studies Program, Bowling Green State University, July 2000.
Given the continued popularity and heavy influence on hip hop music, female rappers, and many action-oriented films starring African-American actors in the 1990’s Blaxploitation films remain a neglected area of study. This genre provided African-American actresses with their first opportunity to change the prevailing onscreen persona of African-American women as Mammies and the Exotic Other. Pam Grier, Tamara Dobson, and Teresa Graves’ portrayals of strong, liberated women led to an alternative image of African-American femininity that differs greatly from prior onscreen representations of African-American women. This dissertation discusses the filmic representations of African American actresses from the 1930’s to the 1970’s. Specifically, I argue that Grier, Dobson, and Graves were trailblazers for African-American actresses and actresses in general by creating a new genre of films in the guise of the action heroine which has become a mainstay in popular cinema from the late 1970’s to the present.
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