230622 Ethnicity and Film in Britain (S) (WiSe 2006/2007)

British cultural life has been influenced by black and Asian artists, whose work in the media has produced new representations of multi-ethnic Britain. The visual medium of film in particular has contributed to the discussion of cultural identities in Britain through analyzes of the structures and mechanisms of racism and nationalism, as well as through the creation of new identities in filmic narrative. In this course, we will analyze the work of British-African, British-Caribbean and British-Asian screen-writers and directors, looking first at the development of Black and Asian narrative film in Britain from the 1960s to the 1980s, and then concentrate on film and television from the 1990s until today, which has followed a trend of 'mainstreaming'. Films to be discussed will include Babymother, East Is East, Bend It Like Beckham and The Buddha of Suburbia, as well as the TV-shows Goodness Gracious Me.

5 credit points will be awarded for regular attendance and active participation, contribution to an expert-group paper/presentation and a term paper. Please note: The course will be conducted as a block seminar after the introductory session (first week of the semester, Wednesday 14-16h). Dates will be announced in the first session.

Background reading:
Barbara Korte & Claudia Sternberg, Bidding for the Mainstream? Black and Asian British Film since the 1990s. (Amsterdam, New York, 2004)