Hi, personally I found the article regarding Josephine Baker of great interest as it delves into the impact she had upon French culture. The article discusses in great depth the origins of Baker and her rise to prominence within Paris during the 1920s. One thing which I found interesting was how Baker used the issues of sexualisation and difference in a positive way to draw in a larger crowd to her performances by adhering to the stereotypes within her acts. The reading by Campt discusses the attitudes of the Germans towards the French colonial troops. The article intrigued me as I was aware of the Germans being ‘afraid’ of the black population but I was not aware of the extent and this article helped to highlight this. Ultimately, I found both articles of interest as both provide differing interpretations of race and attitudes towards black people during the 20s as Reuben mentioned. The articles also highlight the undertone of change within society in regards to some areas during the interwar period.
Rhys McGowan
Hi, I agree that both articles were very interesting to read as it showed the different views made of both black males and females during that time. The first reading written by Campt, allowed me to learn and understand about the attitudes of Germans towards the colonial soldiers who had come to help the french army. Like Rhys has mentioned, I was aware of the negative attitudes that the Germans had towards them but this reading helped me to explore it much better. I found it interesting to learn that they had been seen as a threat just because of the way they looked and I also liked how the writer spoke of mixed race being seen as another problem during this time. I enjoyed the second reading which spoke about the life of Josephine Baker. I find it fascinating how much of an impact she had on the french culture in the 1920’s and how she used sexualisation to gain a platform and show the issues that were currently happening during that time. Both articles were successful in helping me to understand the topic of race during the interwar period in these european countries.
Thanks, Reuben, for the summary and to Caitlin and Rhys for the comments. To probe what Rhys has highlighted: I wonder how far these articles offer similar views towards race in the 1920s? Both, for example, focus on the subject of sex and seem to offer different ideas here – but how far apart are the subjects in this regard?
One thing that I think is worth probing is the importance of empire in all of this. It does seem that the legacy of colonial experience is crucial to how black people were perceived.
I found the first article, ‘Resonant Echoes’, in Other Germans: Black Germans and the politics of race, gender, and memory in the Third Reich, really interesting and effective in conveying the perceived threat to Germans that the presence of black, and other ethnic minority soldiers (also considered to be racially inferior to whites) posed to German culture. The article also captured German attitudes towards mixed race individuals through the quite complex idea, and emphasis on, the body, mainly female, being this kind of ‘vehicle’ for ethnic/race pollution through the reproduction of mixed race children into this ‘pure’ and ‘superior’ white race in Germany. I always find it interesting that mixed race people were often faced with the worst controversy and outrage despite having one parent who would have been considered ‘superior’ and it actually reminds me of the work of Frederick Douglas in his slavery narrative in which he also claimed that mixed race slaves, ‘mulattos’, were often actually the worst treated of all the slaves enforcing this idea that they represent this idea of ethnic impurity and a sort of ‘polluted’ version of the white race, and really emphasises the negative perception of mixed relations.
I found that the second source ‘I’ll say its getting darker and darker in Paris’ also provided a good insight into the ‘fascination’ and ‘demand’ for Black ‘entertainment’ particularly this idea that the shows which Baker were involved in provided a kind of escape from the mundane everyday life of French citizens and was really welcomed at a time when France was recovering from the impact of huge losses at war.
Hi, personally I found the article regarding Josephine Baker of great interest as it delves into the impact she had upon French culture. The article discusses in great depth the origins of Baker and her rise to prominence within Paris during the 1920s. One thing which I found interesting was how Baker used the issues of sexualisation and difference in a positive way to draw in a larger crowd to her performances by adhering to the stereotypes within her acts. The reading by Campt discusses the attitudes of the Germans towards the French colonial troops. The article intrigued me as I was aware of the Germans being ‘afraid’ of the black population but I was not aware of the extent and this article helped to highlight this. Ultimately, I found both articles of interest as both provide differing interpretations of race and attitudes towards black people during the 20s as Reuben mentioned. The articles also highlight the undertone of change within society in regards to some areas during the interwar period.
Rhys McGowan
Hi, I agree that both articles were very interesting to read as it showed the different views made of both black males and females during that time. The first reading written by Campt, allowed me to learn and understand about the attitudes of Germans towards the colonial soldiers who had come to help the french army. Like Rhys has mentioned, I was aware of the negative attitudes that the Germans had towards them but this reading helped me to explore it much better. I found it interesting to learn that they had been seen as a threat just because of the way they looked and I also liked how the writer spoke of mixed race being seen as another problem during this time. I enjoyed the second reading which spoke about the life of Josephine Baker. I find it fascinating how much of an impact she had on the french culture in the 1920’s and how she used sexualisation to gain a platform and show the issues that were currently happening during that time. Both articles were successful in helping me to understand the topic of race during the interwar period in these european countries.
Thanks, Reuben, for the summary and to Caitlin and Rhys for the comments. To probe what Rhys has highlighted: I wonder how far these articles offer similar views towards race in the 1920s? Both, for example, focus on the subject of sex and seem to offer different ideas here – but how far apart are the subjects in this regard?
One thing that I think is worth probing is the importance of empire in all of this. It does seem that the legacy of colonial experience is crucial to how black people were perceived.
I found the first article, ‘Resonant Echoes’, in Other Germans: Black Germans and the politics of race, gender, and memory in the Third Reich, really interesting and effective in conveying the perceived threat to Germans that the presence of black, and other ethnic minority soldiers (also considered to be racially inferior to whites) posed to German culture. The article also captured German attitudes towards mixed race individuals through the quite complex idea, and emphasis on, the body, mainly female, being this kind of ‘vehicle’ for ethnic/race pollution through the reproduction of mixed race children into this ‘pure’ and ‘superior’ white race in Germany. I always find it interesting that mixed race people were often faced with the worst controversy and outrage despite having one parent who would have been considered ‘superior’ and it actually reminds me of the work of Frederick Douglas in his slavery narrative in which he also claimed that mixed race slaves, ‘mulattos’, were often actually the worst treated of all the slaves enforcing this idea that they represent this idea of ethnic impurity and a sort of ‘polluted’ version of the white race, and really emphasises the negative perception of mixed relations.
I found that the second source ‘I’ll say its getting darker and darker in Paris’ also provided a good insight into the ‘fascination’ and ‘demand’ for Black ‘entertainment’ particularly this idea that the shows which Baker were involved in provided a kind of escape from the mundane everyday life of French citizens and was really welcomed at a time when France was recovering from the impact of huge losses at war.
Sorry this is so late
Bethany