@article{ART001946736},
author={jung mi kyung},
title={The Shipment, A Minstrel Show in the Post-Racial Society},
journal={Journal of Modern English Drama},
issn={1226-3397},
year={2014},
volume={27},
number={3},
pages={345-370}
TY - JOUR
AU - jung mi kyung
TI - The Shipment, A Minstrel Show in the Post-Racial Society
JO - Journal of Modern English Drama
PY - 2014
VL - 27
IS - 3
PB - 한국현대영미드라마학회
SP - 345
EP - 370
SN - 1226-3397
AB - Young Jean Lee’s The Shipment is the political play which casts doubts on and satirizes the post-racial society celebrated by lots of Americans since Obama became the first African American President. This play seems to adopt the legacy of the 19th century minstrel show in which black-faced buffoons lampooned the hypocrisy of upper-class society. It not only revives the unique minstrel show’s repertories; dance, skit, hymn etc., but also summons the dilemma of the spectatorship on the minstrel show; the guilty pleasures. In short, Young Jean Lee sets out to challenge audiences over their own racial biases(conscious and otherwise) by working with black actors to create a play that explores African-American stereotypes, experiences, and their history as minstrel players. As watching this hilarious 21th century minstrel show, audiences cannot help laughing unceasingly at the racial stereotype representations. Then, Young Jean Lee asks audience if it is okay that we can enjoy the racially biased comedy show while it is argued that we’re living in a so called a post-racial society. Either it is politically correct or not, the audiences try to find out their own answers for that question. The audiences’ searching for the answers is nothing but the politics of this play.
This article demonstrates that in The Shipment, the play where Lee is curious to take the temperature of audiences on the question of identity politics, we can see any claims of “post-racial” society and other denials of racism may reflect ignorance of history and may reinforce the false ideas that race does not matter any more.
KW - The Shipment;Young Jean Lee;Post-racial society;Minstrel;Performance Criticism;‘guilty pleasure’
DO -
UR -
ER -
jung mi kyung. (2014). The Shipment, A Minstrel Show in the Post-Racial Society. Journal of Modern English Drama, 27(3), 345-370.
jung mi kyung. 2014, "The Shipment, A Minstrel Show in the Post-Racial Society", Journal of Modern English Drama, vol.27, no.3 pp.345-370.
jung mi kyung "The Shipment, A Minstrel Show in the Post-Racial Society" Journal of Modern English Drama 27.3 pp.345-370 (2014) : 345.
jung mi kyung. The Shipment, A Minstrel Show in the Post-Racial Society. 2014; 27(3), 345-370.
jung mi kyung. "The Shipment, A Minstrel Show in the Post-Racial Society" Journal of Modern English Drama 27, no.3 (2014) : 345-370.
jung mi kyung. The Shipment, A Minstrel Show in the Post-Racial Society. Journal of Modern English Drama, 27(3), 345-370.
jung mi kyung. The Shipment, A Minstrel Show in the Post-Racial Society. Journal of Modern English Drama. 2014; 27(3) 345-370.
jung mi kyung. The Shipment, A Minstrel Show in the Post-Racial Society. 2014; 27(3), 345-370.
jung mi kyung. "The Shipment, A Minstrel Show in the Post-Racial Society" Journal of Modern English Drama 27, no.3 (2014) : 345-370.
