Jamal Proposal
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San Diego State University *
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445
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Arts Humanities
Date
Dec 6, 2023
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docx
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Research Paper Proposal
Moonlight
won a controversial academy award for Best Picture. This devastating drama
portrays a black gay male struggling with his identity, putting the stereotypes on full display. The
idea of a gay black man struggling to understand the self put on the big screen is a highlight for
diversity and inclusion, where the darkness surrounding the film is an indication of a lack of
acceptance for black men to be humanized.
One of the course materials that will be examined throughout the research project is
Stuart Hall’s article. Hall stats, “And, certainly, blacks are as ambiguously placed in relation to
postmodernism as they were in relation to high modernism” (105). The quote encourages a
deeper exploration of the representation of black people in film in a post-modern era. Bell Hooks
presents a second resource that will be integral in applying a foundational approach to the
literature:
Black Looks
. Hooks states, “Cultural appropriation of the Other assuages feelings of
depravation and lack that assault the psyches of radical white youth who choose to be disloyal to
western civilization” (26). Here, the author is arguing that those who are accepting are disloyal to
civilization and the way of life in the West, where acceptance and inclusion are burdensome on
the cultural norms. This is a theme explored deeper throughout the assessment, using the film to
examine the cultural relationships.
Two scholarly sources outside of the course that will be used are those by Dan Flory and
Janine Jones. They each take a unique perspective on the film and the wider concept of black
masculinity against humanity, or in coordination with humanity depending on how one is
assessing this relationship from a situational perspective. Jones argues that there has been a white
supremacist driven perception of the ghetto that typically encompasses representation in film
JOURNAL ARTICLE REVIEW
2
(93). Flory explains how this film tests the limits by showing the humility in black communities
and those who represent them (106). Collectively, the sources contribute to the research with
unique interpretations of black culture in film.
Works Cited
Flory, Dan. Moonlight, Film Noir, and Melodrama. The Western Journal of Black Studies 43.3
(2019): 104.
Hall, Stuart. “What is this Black in Black Popular Culture?” Social Justice 20.1/2 (1993): 104-
114.
Hooks, Bell. Black Looks: Race and Representation. South End Press, 1992.
Jones, Janine. Moonlight Riff: Examining Rifts between Presentations of Black, Gay, Male
Humanity and Representations of Black, Gay, Male Non-Humanity in Moonlight. The
Western Journal of Black Studies 43.3 (2019): 90.
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