Elizabeth Taylor: Icon of American Empire

Elizabeth Taylor is a model of postcolonial whiteness, as her tenure as the most beautiful woman in the world coincides with the era of postcolonialism in the 1950s and 1960s. Gloria Shin contends that Taylor performs the possibilities open to postcolonial whites for mobility, pleasure, and political agency while operating without the burdens of race.

Format: Hardback
Length: 200 pages
Publication date: 15 January 2023
Publisher: Lexington Books

In Elizabeth Taylor: Icon of American Empire, Gloria Shin makes a compelling argument that the iconic movie star exemplifies postcolonial whiteness. Shin argues that Taylor's reign as the most beautiful woman in the world coincided with the era of postcolonialism in the 1950s and 1960s. Taylor is analyzed through a series of overlapping readings, including her portrayal as the Mistress in a cycle of Hollywood plantation films, her extra-cinematic image as a jet-setting wanton seductress and oriental in whiteface in the early 1960s, her return to the United States in the 1970s through her marriage to and the election of her pro-military husband, John Warner, to the U.S. Senate, and her evolution as a relentless AIDS activist in the 1980s.

Through these interpretative frames, Taylor emerges as the figure who embodies the vast possibilities open to postcolonial whites for mobility, pleasure, and political agency while operating without the burdens of race that allow her stardom to symbolize American Empire at the height of its power.

Shin's analysis is insightful and thought-provoking, offering a fresh perspective on Taylor's legacy and the role of whiteness in shaping American culture and society. Her book is a valuable contribution to the field of film and cultural studies, and it will be of interest to scholars and enthusiasts alike.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781666907476