Blackface, White Noise Jewish Immigrants in the Hollywood Melting Pot [Paperback]

The tangled connections that have bound Jews to African Americans in popular culture and liberal politics are at the heart of Michael Rogin's arresting and unnerving book. Looking at films fromBirth of a NationtoForrest Gump, Rogin explores blackface in Hollywood films as an aperture to broader issues: the nature of white identity in America, the role of race in transforming immigrants into Americans, the common experiences of Jews and African Americans that made Jews key supporters in the fight for racial equality, and the social importance of popular culture. Rogin's forcefully argued study challenges us to confront the harsh truths behind the popularity of racial masquerade.

Michael Roginis Robson Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley. His books includeRonald Reagan the Movie: And Other Episodes in Political Demonology(California, 1985).