Coming Soon: The Politics of Race in American Film – with Dr. Clive James Nwonka

Summary

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Podcast Summary: The Politics of Race in American Film – with Dr. Clive James Nwonka

Podcast: LSE: Public Lectures and Events
Host: Chris Gilson (LSE US Centre)
Guest: Dr. Clive James Nwonka (Visiting Fellow, LSE International Inequalities Institute)
Date: October 5, 2020
Episode Type: Sneak Preview of Upcoming Series

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Episode Overview

This episode previews the upcoming podcast series "The Politics of Race in American Film", hosted by Dr. Clive James Nwonka. The series will explore how race and its politics are represented in American cinema, with a focus on the Black American experience from the Obama era through Trump's America and into the unique context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Nwonka and a range of expert guests will examine how film can both reflect and shape societal views on race, inequality, and resistance.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Origins and Focus of the Series [00:52 - 02:09]

• Dr. Nwonka’s years of research focus on unpacking race in American film, zooming in particularly on Black America.
• The podcast will investigate:
  • The representation of race during pivotal periods, such as the Obama presidency and the rise of "Trump’s America".
  • How different eras (Obama vs. Trump) shaped narratives and counter-narratives in Black cinema.
  • The use of film as a counter-narrative to racism within American society.

“This podcast series is born from several years of research I've been conducting that tries to get to the nucleus of what race in American film actually looks like with a particular focus on black America.”
— Dr. Clive James Nwonka [00:52]

• Examples of films to be discussed likely range from classics like Birth of a Nation to contemporary works like Do the Right Thing.

2. Film as a Lens on Contemporary Inequality [02:09 - 04:08]

• The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified racial inequalities in the US, spotlighting intersections with gender, class, and regional disparities.
• Dr. Nwonka positions film as an ideological tool, capable of both reflecting and influencing societal attitudes and mobilizing audiences.
• In the context of COVID-19:
  • Film becomes historically significant, documenting, anticipating, and shaping narratives about race and inequality in crisis.
  • The series will ponder how future films will tackle post-pandemic race politics, their intended audiences, and their societal impact.

“Film is a powerful ideological tool. We've seen that from Birth of a Nation to Do the Right Thing to more recent films as a way of mobilizing people towards a particular ideological position…”
— Dr. Clive James Nwonka [02:39]

• The podcast will include diverse guests from academia, culture, and other disciplines to bring multifaceted perspectives.

3. The Purpose and Intended Takeaway for Listeners [04:08 - 05:56]

• Dr. Nwonka aims to advocate for film as a vehicle for understanding society, particularly within the social sciences.
• He believes film and popular culture are underutilized epistemological tools for analyzing societal structures and issues.
• Listeners can expect to:
  • Gain a deeper appreciation for both the history of African American cinema and the roles of African Americans within the broader film context.
  • Acquire new critical “lenses” and methodologies for analyzing how the politics of race are constructed in cinema and their interactions with broader forces (Hollywood, overt politics, etc.).
  • Understand how films can reflect, refract, and even drive change concerning race in America.
  • Consider the revolutionary potential of cinema in the current mobilization for racial justice.

“I’m hoping the audience…will first of all get a deeper understanding of that rich history of both African American cinema, but African Americans within cinema.”
— Dr. Clive James Nwonka [04:35]

“…how films often reflect and refract society, what films can do to shift and push thinking around race within America, and then how films in the future…[can] be used as a radical tool…”
— Dr. Clive James Nwonka [05:20]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the ideological power of film:
  “Film is a powerful ideological tool…as a way of mobilizing people towards a particular ideological position.” [02:39]

• On the impact of COVID-19:
  “…those sharp inequalities have now become heightened as a result of the pandemic, but also as a result of the response to the pandemic, which has also exacerbated the racial inequalities.” [03:05]

• On the aim of the podcast series:
  “I’m hoping the audience…will get a deeper understanding of that rich history of both African American cinema, but African Americans within cinema. But equally I’m hoping that we can put out some lenses…to help the audience unpick how the politics of race has been produced within cinema...” [04:35]

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Segment Timestamps for Key Content

• [00:52] – Overview of the series’ research background and themes
• [02:09] – COVID-19 and the sharp focus it brings to race and inequality
• [04:08] – Dr. Nwonka’s goals for listeners and the importance of film in social science analysis

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Tone and Style

The conversation is engaging, thoughtful, and scholarly but remains accessible. Dr. Nwonka brings academic rigor without jargon, using concrete historical reference points and an inclusive curiosity. Host Chris Gilson’s tone is warm and inquiring, directing the conversation toward both broad context and listener relevance.

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Conclusion

This preview episode sets the stage for a deeply relevant and timely exploration of how race, politics, and representation intersect in American film. It invites listeners into a nuanced analysis leveraging film to make sense of social and political realities, with the promise of insights from a variety of perspectives and disciplines. The series promises to be essential listening for anyone interested in race, social equality, and the power of cinema to shape public consciousness.

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Transcript

[A]

Hello and welcome to the Ballpark, a podcast from the US center here at the London School of Economics. I'm Chris Gilson, the managing editor of the LSE US Center's blog on US politics and policy, USAP. Over the last few months we've been working with Dr. Clive James Nwanka, who is a visiting fellow in the International Inequalities Institute at lse, to put together a new podcast series examining the politics of race in American film. Ahead of the launch of the series in a few weeks time, we thought we'd give you a sneak preview with an interview with Dr. Nwanka who joins me now. Hi Clive, how are you?

[B]

I'm fine, thanks. How are you?

[A]

I'm not too bad, thanks. It's great to be speaking to you today. So this new series is about the politics of race in American film. Can you tell us a bit about it and what it'll be covering and maybe some of the films you'll be looking at as well? Sure.

[B]

Well, this podcast series is born from several years of research I've been conducting that tries to get to the nucleus of what race in American film actually looks like with a particular focus on black America. Now, I've tried to situate that question within a number of particular contexts, such as the politics of race at particular moments, be it the presidency of Obama from 2008 and some of the social tensions around racial injustice that existed during that time period, and how they were accompanied by a body of films that tried to explore the various ways in which the politics erased are lived out. But then, equally, I'm interested in this new conjuncture which is Trump's America, and how the right wing shift has also produced a counter narrative within both black cinema and and cinema generally in America. And again, looking at how film has been used as the counter narrative to certain examples of racism within the American body politic.

[A]

Thanks. So, as the COVID 19 pandemic has laid bare even more than usual, the various inequalities that exist in America, how can we use the lens of film as a tool to help us to understand this particular moment that we're experiencing in history?

[B]

That's a fantastic question, because that's the precise question that I'm hoping to explore in the podcast with a range of different guests who come from a range of different academic and cultural disciplines and modes of thinking. So what COVID 19 has brought into sharp focus is the vast racial inequalities in America, but equally how they're also visited by questions of gender, questions of class, questions of regionality as well. Now, film is a powerful ideological tool. We've seen that from Birth of a Nation to do the right thing to more recent films as a way of mobilizing people towards a particular ideological position. Now, the question of race in these times becomes very, very pertinent in film because we are in a moment now where those sharp inequalities have now become heightened as a result of the pandemic, but also as a result of the response to the pandemic, which has also exacerbated the racial inequalities. So I think this moment is one of film history. It's also a moment trying to project and predict how new films that attempt to dabble and grapple in the aftermath of COVID 19 and the politics of race we've seen from other moments in recent history. How are films going to try and narrate those? And what's their purpose? Who is their audience, and what the kind of outcomes could be?

[A]

Thank you. And what would you like listeners to get out of listening to this series?

[B]

Well, primarily I'm a teacher in a pedagogue and I've always tried to advocate the use of film as a way for understanding society. And I've often thought that particularly within the social sciences, film, film culture, popular culture, hasn't always been given the kinds of attention or respect direct say, of its use as epistemology. So I'm hoping the audience who listen to the podcast will first of all get a deeper understanding of that rich history of both African American cinema, but African Americans within cinema. But equally, I hoping that we can put out some lenses and optics and modes of analysis that will help the audience try to understand and unpick how the politics of race has been produced within cinema and its relationship with a whole host of different forces, be it the politics of Hollywood or the politics of race in its most overt manifestations, how films often reflect and refract society, what films can do to shift and push thinkings around race within America, and then how films in the future, given what's been happening in recent times, be used as a radical tool for an extension of the politics and the mobility we are seeing right now in America as well.

[A]

Great. Well, I think it's going to be a fantastic listen for people and incredibly important and relevant right now. Thanks so much to Dr. Nwongka for joining me. You'll be able to hear much more from him as the host of the series the Politics of Race in American Film when our first episode is released soon. The Politics of Race in American Film will be available on the LSE podcast feed, on SoundCloud, on Apple Podcasts, and on the LSE Player. Dr. Clive James Nwankat is a Visiting Fellow in the International Inequalities Institute at lse. His published research includes writings on contemporary social realism, Black British cinema, film and architecture, and diversity policy. He's the co editor of black film British Cinema 2 and author of the forthcoming book Black the Aesthetics of British Urban Cinema, which will be out later this year. This episode was produced by Chris Gilson and Mikaela Herrmann. The Ballpark podcast is supported by the the LSE's knowledge exchange and Innovation Fund. We'd love to hear what you think about the show. Email us your [e-mail] or send us a tweet at lseballpark and tell your friends about us. The content and opinions expressed in this podcast do not reflect those of the US Centre or the London School of Economics. Thanks for listening.