Racial Masquerade in American Art & Culture (Part 2 of 3)
Description:
Richardson Symposium: Racial Masquerade in American Art and Culture took place at the National Portrait Gallery, Nov. 4, and Nov. 5, 2016 Recording of Friday, Nov 4: Speakers Introductions Kim Sajet Director, National Portrait Gallery Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw Associate Professor of History of Art, University of Pennsylvania, Senior Fellow, National Portrait Gallery Keynote Racial Hauntology in the Age of Obama Eric Lott, Professor of English and American Studies, CUNY Graduate Center Throughout American history, different forms of racial masquerade have been used to engage issues of difference and group identity. While this kind of dress up has sometimes been a celebratory act, or used by oppressed communities to mock those in power, it has more often been employed by those in power to dehumanize minorities and reassert existing control over them. The Richardson Symposium will bring together scholars and artists who engage these histories in their work. It will also examine contemporary instances of racial masquerade in American culture and the ways that such performances of false identity continue to shape the ways that we see ourselves and others.
