Hanf, M: The Culture of Blaxploitation

Seminar paper from the year 2005 in the subject American Studies - Culture and Applied Geography, grade: 1,7, LMU Munich, 54 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: African-Americans, since forcibly brought to the New World by slave-traders, took advantage of their various forms of action to overcome the everyday present racial struggle in their lives. In the late 1960's and throughout the 1970's, due to crucial instruments such as the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Power Movement one particular conduct developed, New Black Consciousness.New Black Consciousness brought the factor of being pride of one's skin-color and exceptional situation to the race issue. Though this was not entirely new, most blacks now felt more than before in a symbolic position. Their proud status would impress millions of blacks and other minorities in the US and show them that it was possible to disapprove of oppression and segregation, which still was present in many white peoples' minds. New Black Consciousness was the effective community spirit, which welcomed all blacks with open arms. No longer was being black a situation of being ashamed of; no longer meant being black subordination to thoughts and orders of the white man. This particularly had a massive influence on all forms of African-American cultural production. Everything gained a new look. One could frequently see proud and self-confident cultural expression with afro-haircuts, leisure suits, or high heels, the radio vehemently shouted "Say it loud - I'm black and I'm proud" across America, and the new freedom also gained its shape by the frequent consumption of drugs and the finding of complete fulfilment in sexual freedom. For so many blacks, expression met innovation with this love for sex, drugs, Funk and Soul.Along these sweeping innovations within African-American cultural expression came one in film, which would shape the face of cinema of the future generations; Blaxploitation. This project aims