"Love and Theft:" A Review

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the book "Love and Theft," a history of blackface minstrelsy by Eric Lott. The writer explains that blackface minstrelsy, defined as white actors and singers performing blackfaced on stage and in films, stems back many generations to the 1840s, and its roots are found in nearly all forms of American culture throughout its history. Lott reviews previous explanations of this form of entertainment, provides a detailed history of it and its racial and political implications, and a wide-reaching perspective of how the minstrelsy was integrated into the American way of life. Lott recognizes that minstrelsy has many more layers of understanding than what has long been believed--which explains its ability to remain such a long term popular form of entertainment.

From the Paper:

"Today, when considering these blackfaced singers, one automatically thinks of stereotypes and racism. Yet, according to Eric Lott as with much of history, there are two sides. As the title, Love and Theft, suggests, minstrelsy was seen primarily in two different ways. The primary audience of blackface minstrels, were workers who clapped their hands, stomped their feet and loudly and sang Jim Crow songs through mockery, or "theft," but also out of a amazement, or love, for how they envisioned black people and their culture. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Lott, E. (1993) Love and Theft. New York: Oxford Press.Manthia Diawara. The Blackface Stereotype. Retrieved on April 4, 2008. http://www.blackculturalstudies.org/m_diawara/blackface.html
• Nelson, S.R. (1996) Reviewed work(s): Love and Theft: Blackface Minstrelsy and the American Working Class. Journal of Social History, 29(3): 724-72

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