Author ORCID Identifier:
Date of Graduation
7-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Communication (MA)
Degree Level
Graduate
Department
Communication
Advisor/Mentor
Corrigan, Lisa
Committee Member
Neville-Shepard, Meredith
Second Committee Member
Neville-Shepard, Ryan
Keywords
Black Americana; Black rhetoric; imperialism; media studies
Abstract
In this project, I extend the theorization of Black Americana, a conservative, racialized mass media project where Black celebrities, through the assertion of the American-ness and promotion of the American empire, engage in the containment of Blackness and Black people. Historically, Black Americana was conceptualized by Michele White around the online marketplace for racist, caricatured, slavery-era memorabilia, but I argue that this practice has morphed and evolved into a prominent form of mediated Black subjugation by Black elites. Utilizing Whitney Houston’s performance of the national anthem as a case study, I argue in the introduction that, by insisting upon her American-ness, she attempts to contain and delimit Blackness as strictly American and encourages the audience to consume her. Following this introduction to Black Americana, I apply the theory to two case studies to illuminate the mechanics and impacts of Black Americana. First, I utilize the 2024 Christmas Day halftime show performance by Beyoncé in order to introduce seasoning, which I argue is the rhetorical mechanics through which the empire is made appealing to audiences. Next, I utilize the 2025 Super Bowl LIX halftime show performance by Kendrick Lamar to assert that the use of Black Americana encourages the misuse of marginalized practices, like throwing shade, in order to celebrate imperial violence against another nation. Finally, I conclude by illustrating how the re-emergence of Black Americana has incentivized other marginalized groups to rely on problematic ideologies through analyzing the 2025 Super Bowl LX halftime performance by Bad Bunny.
Citation
Bloemetjie, S. (2026). Black Americana: Packaging Black Critique for White Consumption. Graduate Theses and Dissertations Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/6397
