Mammies No More

This groundbreaking book explores the history of representations of African-American women in American film and theater. Using a semiotic and critical race theory framework, Anderson examines three stereotypes of African-American women: the Mammy, the Tragic Mulatta, and the Jezebel. Arguing that, because of the way that visual signs operate in a visual media culture, these stereotypes function as icons or fixed presentations of "real" individuals, Anderson considers their political and social implications and compares the stereotypes to more positive representations in works written and directed by African-American women.

Lisa M. Anderson is Assistant Professor of Theater and African-American Studies at Purdue University. She lives in West Lafayette, Indiana.