This lively study unpacks the intersecting racial; sexual; and gender politics underlying the representations of racialized bodies; masculinities; and femininities in early 1970s black action films; with particular focus on the representation of black femininity. Stephane Dunn explores the typical; sexualized; subordinate positioning of women in low-budget blaxploitation action narratives as well as more seriously radical films like Sweet Sweetbacks Baadasssss Song and The Spook Who Sat by the Door; in which black women are typically portrayed as trifling "bitches" compared to the supermacho black male heroes. The terms "baad bitches" and "sassy supermamas" signal the reversal of this positioning with the emergence of supermama heroines in the few black action films in the early 1970s that featured self-assured; empowered; and tough (or "baad") black women as protagonists: Cleopatra Jones; Coffy; and Foxy Brown.Dunn offers close examination of a distinct moment in the history of African American representation in popular cinema; tracing its emergence out of a radical political era; influenced especially by the Black Power movement and feminism. "Baad Bitches" and Sassy Supermamas also engages blaxploitations impact and lingering aura in contemporary hip-hop culture as suggested by its disturbing gender politics and the "baad bitch daughters" of Foxy Brown and Cleopatra Jones; rappers Lil Kim and Foxy Brown.
#1363380 in eBooks 2012-03-15 2012-03-15File Name: B00BEMSEUQ
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Its better to understand and know other cultures or pull them apart?By adrianIt think that its a very good book. Its a research; not easy to write; with detailed experiences; talks and sources of the Argentine immigrants working as tango teachers; musicians; dancers; giving their daily energies to US public. They are artists looking for a space to live; trying to have the respect of many persons with their art. With pictures of perfomances; it is easy to understand what means Tango for this group which finally will create a family; friends and roots in the USA. Students; young or old american people will have the opportunity to comprehend and know about of the Argentine culture in the past and through the present days.This is not the first publication of Anahi Viladrich.Graduated in Sociology from the Univ. of Bs Aires and with various Master`s Degree and highest honors given by Columbia University; what she writes demonstrate a deep understanding in thies field.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Excellent!!!!By Nadia Diaz; Ph.D.Viladrich offers an in depth analysis of Argentine immigrants for whom Tango is a career as well as a means for survival in an unforgiving city such as New York. Her research intertwines social theory with personal vignettes as an illustration of social phenomena in both private an public spheres; she immerses the reader into the lives of these immigrants without losing academic rigor. Her field work is extensive and provides both a clear understanding of the background and evolution of Tango as an art form as well as the current struggle of the members of this community for survival in New York City.More Than Two To Tango is a pristine academic work both enlightening for social science scholars as well as enjoyable for the layperson.1 of 2 people found the following review helpful. GREAT READ!By shreviewsViladrichs book explores the social webs that support the careers of Argentine artists in the US; and particularly in NYC. Viladrichs ethnographic perspective is embedded in a fascinating narrative that retraces the complex ways through which a researcher ends up (re) defining her own path within the tango world; along with gaining a deeper understanding of Argentinas racial and ethnic categories. The book remarkable reveals the voices of tango artists; along with her own experience as an Argentine immigrant in New York City who devoted herself to study her own national community. So yes; this book is about the complex lives of a conspicuous group of artists; but it is much more than that. It is also about the ways through which Argentines living abroad embrace tango as a national icon and forge an emotional bonding with their compatriots both abroad and at home.