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ETD_Oseni Thesis Rev.pdf (470.31 KB)

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The Resurgence of Blaxploitation Ideologies in Contemporary Black Films

Oseni, Akinkunmi Ibrahim
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1672959456240406

Abstract Details

2023, Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, English.
In this thesis, I examine the resurgence of Blaxploitation ideas in contemporary Black films, with specific focus on BlacKkKlansman (2018) and Judas and the Black Messiah (2021). I argue that these two recent films draw on historical events and Blaxploitation films of the 1970s to depict a continuum of Black resistance to anti-Black racism and social injustice. I assert that just like the Blaxploitation films served as the pop culture expression of Black social justice organizations like the Black Panther Party in the 1970s, BlacKkKlansman and Judas also articulate the importance of contemporary social justice movements like Black Lives Matter. In the introductory chapter, I establish the historical background, ideological motivation, and aesthetic signifiers of Blaxploitation films. The chapter reveals that Blaxploitation films emerged as a response to the racist representation of Black people in early mainstream Hollywood films, as well as to anti-Black racism in the wider culture. In chapter two, I interpret BlacKkKlansman as a film that yokes historical events with Blaxploitation tropes, such as Black cultural expression and collective struggles, to depict a continuum of Black resistance to anti-Black racism. In chapter three, I argue that Judas and the Black Messiah celebrates Black resistance to social injustice by valorizing the self-defense ideology and social organization of the Black Panther Party. I conclude by drawing an ideological connection between the Black Panther Party and Black Lives Matter, emphasizing the importance of both groups to Black social justice struggles.
Erin Labbie, Ph.D (Committee Chair)
William Albertini, Ph.D (Committee Member)
62 p.
African American Studies; African Americans; Black Studies; Ethnic Studies; Film Studies
Blaxploitation; Black Films; Africa America; Social Justice; Black History; Hollywood; Critical Race Theory; Race; BlacKkKlansman; Judas and the Black Messiah; Black Panther Party

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Oseni, A. I. (2023). The Resurgence of Blaxploitation Ideologies in Contemporary Black Films [Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1672959456240406

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Oseni, Akinkunmi. The Resurgence of Blaxploitation Ideologies in Contemporary Black Films. 2023. Bowling Green State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1672959456240406.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Oseni, Akinkunmi. "The Resurgence of Blaxploitation Ideologies in Contemporary Black Films." Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University, 2023. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1672959456240406

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

bgsu1672959456240406
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© 2023, some rights reserved.Creative Commons License The Resurgence of Blaxploitation Ideologies in Contemporary Black Films by Akinkunmi Ibrahim Oseni is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at etd.ohiolink.edu.
This open access ETD is published by Bowling Green State University and OhioLINK.