In this Book
- Indian Accents: Brown Voice and Racial Performance in American Television and Film
- Book
- 2013
- Published by: University of Illinois Press
- Series: The Asian American Experience
summary
Amid immigrant narratives of assimilation, Indian Accents focuses on the representations and stereotypes of South Asian characters in American film and television. Exploring key examples in popular culture ranging from Peter Sellers' portrayal of Hrundi Bakshi in the 1968 film The Party to contemporary representations such as Apu from The Simpsons and characters in Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, Shilpa S. Dave develops the ideas of "accent," "brownface," and "brown voice" as new ways to explore the racialization of South Asians beyond just visual appearance. Dave relates these examples to earlier scholarship on blackface, race, and performance to show how "accents" are a means of representing racial difference, national origin, and belonging, as well as distinctions of class and privilege. While focusing on racial impersonations in mainstream film and television, Indian Accents also amplifies the work of South Asian American actors who push back against brown voice performances, showing how strategic use of accent can expand and challenge such narrow stereotypes.
Table of Contents
Download Full Book
- Title Page
- p. 4
- Copyright Page
- p. 5
- Illustrations
- pp. vii-viii
- Acknowledgments
- pp. ix-xi
Additional Information
ISBN
9780252094583
Related ISBN(s)
9780252037405, 9780252078934
MARC Record
OCLC
835981072
Pages
208
Launched on MUSE
2013-05-20
Language
English
Open Access
No
Copyright
2013