Date of Award
5-2017
Degree Type
Report
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
English
Committee Chair(s)
Lisa Gabbert
Committee
Lisa Gabbert
Committee
Lynne S. McNeill
Committee
Christine Cooper-Rompato
Abstract
Folk ideas regarding African-Americans in nineteenth century America fueled racially charged stereotypes that served to promote segregation into the 1960s. Despite the belief of many Americans that the Civil Rights movement has ushered in an era of “postracism,” artifacts of digital culture prove that racism is still prevalent in American culture. Members of online social groups spread rumors and memes of popular African-American figures to propagate old racist stereotypes and spread conspiracy rumors among younger audiences.
Folklorists Bill Ellis, Gary Fine, Véronique Campion-Vincente, and Patricia Turner provided foundational scholarship on rumors, conspiracy theories, and how they divide ethnic groups in wider American culture. This paper applies their works to an analysis of several memes and YouTube videos regarding Kanye West, an African-American rapper. It also considers how stereotypes of African-Americans as discussed in Marlon Riggs’ documentary Ethnic Notions still hold influence over current American attitudes towards African-Americans in the broader culture.
Recommended Citation
Olsen, Magen, "Hanging From the Poplar Tree: Kanye West and Racism in Internet Folklore" (2017). All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023. 970.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/gradreports/970
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