White Saviorism and Popular Culture: Imagined Africa as a Space for American Salvation

In the 21st century, America continues to present an imagined Africa as a space for its salvation, reshaping encounters between Africans and westerners through new media technologies. Kathryn Mathers' book, White Saviorism and Popular Culture, emphasizes the need to interrogate the white savior industrial complex and the ways Africa is being asked to fulfill American needs. She draws on case studies from Savior Barbie to Black Panther and Black is King to argue that global imperialism disguises white supremacy by outsourcing Black American emancipation onto an imagined Africa. This book is crucial for courses on the cultural politics of representation, particularly in relation to race, social media, and popular culture, as well as anyone interested in issues of representation in the global humanitarianism industry.

Format: Hardback
Length: 116 pages
Publication date: 13 September 2022
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This book delves into the intricate web of the white savior industrial complex, shedding light on how America continues to perceive Africa as a realm of salvation in the twenty-first century. Through a meticulous examination of various mediated spaces where Americans envision Africa, White Saviorism and Popular Culture explores how the emergence of new media technologies is reshaping encounters between Africans and Westerners in the modern era, particularly as Africans living and grappling with the impacts of Western imaginations are also utilizing the same mediated platforms. Kathryn Mathers underscores the importance of interrogating the white savior industrial complex and the ways in which Africa is being coerced into fulfilling American needs, as the realities of life in the United States become increasingly intolerable for Black Americans. Drawing upon compelling case studies such as Savior Barbie (@barbiesavior), Black Panther, and Black is King, Mathers posits that global imperialism persists, albeit in disguised forms, as it offloads the emancipation of Black Americans onto an imagined Africa. This thought-provoking work serves as a vital resource for courses exploring the cultural politics of representation, particularly in the context of race, social media, and popular culture. It also appeals to individuals with an interest in examining the representation dynamics within the global humanitarianism industry.

Dimension: 216 x 138 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032112275