Race under Reconstruction in German Cinema

Robert Stemmle's Toxi

Nonfiction, Entertainment, Film, History & Criticism, Performing Arts, History, Germany
Cover of the book Race under Reconstruction in German Cinema by Angelica Fenner, University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Angelica Fenner ISBN: 9781442661875
Publisher: University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division Publication: June 11, 2011
Imprint: Language: English
Author: Angelica Fenner
ISBN: 9781442661875
Publisher: University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division
Publication: June 11, 2011
Imprint:
Language: English

Race Under Reconstruction in German Cinema investigates postwar racial formations via a pivotal West German film by one of the most popular and prolific directors of the era. The release of Robert Stemmle's Toxi (1952) coincided with the enrolment in West German schools of the first five hundred Afro-German children fathered by African-American occupation soldiers. The didactic plot traces the ideological conflicts that arise among members of a patrician family when they encounter an Afro-German child seeking adoption, herein broaching issues of integration at a time when the American civil rights movement was gaining momentum and encountering violent resistance.

Perceptions of 'Blackness' in Toxi demonstrate continuities with those prevailing in Wilhelmine Germany, but also signal the influence of American social science discourse and tropes originating in icons of American popular culture, such as Uncle Tom's Cabin, Birth of a Nation, and several Shirley Temple films. By applying a Cultural Studies approach to individual film sequences, publicity photos, and press reviews, Angelica Fenner relates West German discourses around race and integration to emerging economic and political anxieties, class antagonism, and the reinstatement of conventional gender roles.

The film Toxi is now available on DVD from the DEFA Film Library.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Race Under Reconstruction in German Cinema investigates postwar racial formations via a pivotal West German film by one of the most popular and prolific directors of the era. The release of Robert Stemmle's Toxi (1952) coincided with the enrolment in West German schools of the first five hundred Afro-German children fathered by African-American occupation soldiers. The didactic plot traces the ideological conflicts that arise among members of a patrician family when they encounter an Afro-German child seeking adoption, herein broaching issues of integration at a time when the American civil rights movement was gaining momentum and encountering violent resistance.

Perceptions of 'Blackness' in Toxi demonstrate continuities with those prevailing in Wilhelmine Germany, but also signal the influence of American social science discourse and tropes originating in icons of American popular culture, such as Uncle Tom's Cabin, Birth of a Nation, and several Shirley Temple films. By applying a Cultural Studies approach to individual film sequences, publicity photos, and press reviews, Angelica Fenner relates West German discourses around race and integration to emerging economic and political anxieties, class antagonism, and the reinstatement of conventional gender roles.

The film Toxi is now available on DVD from the DEFA Film Library.

More books from University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division

Cover of the book Robert Copland by Angelica Fenner
Cover of the book Urban Housing Markets by Angelica Fenner
Cover of the book Studies in Siberian Ethnogenesis No. 2 by Angelica Fenner
Cover of the book Only to Serve by Angelica Fenner
Cover of the book At Risk by Angelica Fenner
Cover of the book Pick One Intelligent Girl by Angelica Fenner
Cover of the book Theatre in French Canada by Angelica Fenner
Cover of the book Caring for the World by Angelica Fenner
Cover of the book Using Knowledge and Evidence in Health Care by Angelica Fenner
Cover of the book Dante's Journey to Polyphony by Angelica Fenner
Cover of the book The Atlantic Provinces in Confederation by Angelica Fenner
Cover of the book Experience into Thought by Angelica Fenner
Cover of the book None Is Too Many by Angelica Fenner
Cover of the book Heidegger's Way of Being by Angelica Fenner
Cover of the book A Bibliography of Higher Education in Canada / Bibliographie de L'Enseignement Supérieur au Canada by Angelica Fenner
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy