`This is one of the most important books on race, representation and politics to come along in a decade…. Sarita Malik′s book is a brilliant contribution to the literature on race, cultural studies and public pedagogy′ –
Henry Giroux, Penn State University
Representing Black Britain offers a critical history of Black and Asian representation on British television from the earliest days of broadcasting to the present day. Working through programmes as wide-ranging as the early documentaries to `ethnic sitcoms′ and youth television, this book provides a detailed analysis of shifting institutional contexts, images of `race′ and ethnic-minority cultural politics in modern Britain.
Representing Black Britain : focuses on issues of representation, ideology, `race′ and difference; covers a spectrum of television genres including documentary, news, comedy, light entertainment, youth television, drama, film and sport; examines the sociopolitical context of Black Britain; and looks at questions of policy and the institutional context of British broadcasting.
Table of Content
Representation, History and `Black Britain′
Questions of Context
The Racialization of the Black Subject in Television Documentary
The Institutionalization of the Black Voice on Television
Questions of Access, Multicultural Programming and Cultural Diversity
The Packaging of Black Identities in Television News Narratives
`Is it `cos I is Black?′
The Black Situation in Television Comedy
Light Entertainment on Television – and the Black-British Cultures it is Missing
Reflections on Black Masculinities and British Sporting Culture on Television
Casting the Black Subject in Television Drama
Pounds, Policy and Pressure
Black-British Film-Making – `As Seen on TV′
The Struggle for Meanings of `Blackness′
Summary and Conclusion