Date of Graduation

7-2015

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in History (MA)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

History

Advisor/Mentor

Calvin White

Committee Member

Pearl Ford Dowe

Second Committee Member

James Gigantino

Keywords

Language, literature and linguistics, Social sciences, Communication and the arts

Abstract

Oscar Micheaux was a luminary who served as an agent of racial uplift, with a unique message to share with the world on behalf of the culturally marginalized African Americans. He produced projects that conveyed the complexity of the true black experience with passion and creative courage. His films empowered black audiences and challenged conventional stereotypes of black culture and potential. The legacy of Oscar Micheaux is historically unparalleled among his contemporaries. He transcended traditionally held perspectives about what black people could accomplish. The consciousness within his work still heavily influences black entertainment today. This study seeks to add to the existing collection of works chronicling Micheaux’s career, however it adds unique perspective unanalyzed in existing scholarship. Additionally, it serves to educate contemporary audiences on the most prolific and unheralded novelist and film producer of the Race films era.

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