Looking for Leroy

Illegible Black Masculinities

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Cultural Studies, African-American Studies, Anthropology
Cover of the book Looking for Leroy by Mark Anthony Neal, NYU Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Mark Anthony Neal ISBN: 9780814760604
Publisher: NYU Press Publication: April 22, 2013
Imprint: NYU Press Language: English
Author: Mark Anthony Neal
ISBN: 9780814760604
Publisher: NYU Press
Publication: April 22, 2013
Imprint: NYU Press
Language: English

Mark Anthony Neal’s Looking for Leroy is an engaging and provocative analysis of the complex ways in which black masculinity has been read and misread through contemporary American popular culture. Neal argues that black men and boys are bound, in profound ways, to and by their legibility. The most “legible” black male bodies are often rendered as criminal, bodies in need of policing and containment. Ironically, Neal argues, this sort of legibility brings welcome relief to white America, providing easily identifiable images of black men in an era defined by shifts in racial, sexual, and gendered identities.

Neal highlights the radical potential of rendering legible black male bodies—those bodies that are all too real for us—as illegible, while simultaneously rendering illegible black male bodies—those versions of black masculinity that we can’t believe are real—as legible. In examining figures such as hip-hop entrepreneur and artist Jay-Z, R&B Svengali R. Kelly, the late vocalist Luther Vandross, and characters from the hit HBO series The Wire, among others, Neal demonstrates how distinct representations of black masculinity can break the links in the public imagination that create antagonism toward black men. Looking for Leroy features close readings of contemporary black masculinity and popular culture, highlighting both the complexity and accessibility of black men and boys through visual and sonic cues within American culture, media, and public policy. By rendering legible the illegible, Neal maps the range of identifications and anxieties that have marked the performance and reception of post-Civil Rights era African American masculinity.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Mark Anthony Neal’s Looking for Leroy is an engaging and provocative analysis of the complex ways in which black masculinity has been read and misread through contemporary American popular culture. Neal argues that black men and boys are bound, in profound ways, to and by their legibility. The most “legible” black male bodies are often rendered as criminal, bodies in need of policing and containment. Ironically, Neal argues, this sort of legibility brings welcome relief to white America, providing easily identifiable images of black men in an era defined by shifts in racial, sexual, and gendered identities.

Neal highlights the radical potential of rendering legible black male bodies—those bodies that are all too real for us—as illegible, while simultaneously rendering illegible black male bodies—those versions of black masculinity that we can’t believe are real—as legible. In examining figures such as hip-hop entrepreneur and artist Jay-Z, R&B Svengali R. Kelly, the late vocalist Luther Vandross, and characters from the hit HBO series The Wire, among others, Neal demonstrates how distinct representations of black masculinity can break the links in the public imagination that create antagonism toward black men. Looking for Leroy features close readings of contemporary black masculinity and popular culture, highlighting both the complexity and accessibility of black men and boys through visual and sonic cues within American culture, media, and public policy. By rendering legible the illegible, Neal maps the range of identifications and anxieties that have marked the performance and reception of post-Civil Rights era African American masculinity.

More books from NYU Press

Cover of the book The Post-Secular in Question by Mark Anthony Neal
Cover of the book Toxic Shock by Mark Anthony Neal
Cover of the book The Disability Pendulum by Mark Anthony Neal
Cover of the book Difficult Diasporas by Mark Anthony Neal
Cover of the book The Half-Life of Policy Rationales by Mark Anthony Neal
Cover of the book Imagined Human Beings by Mark Anthony Neal
Cover of the book The Political Thought of America’s Founding Feminists by Mark Anthony Neal
Cover of the book Wealth by Mark Anthony Neal
Cover of the book Virginia Woolf by Mark Anthony Neal
Cover of the book Stripped by Mark Anthony Neal
Cover of the book American Founding Son by Mark Anthony Neal
Cover of the book Keywords for Asian American Studies by Mark Anthony Neal
Cover of the book Hooded Knights on the Niagara by Mark Anthony Neal
Cover of the book Hitler's Millennial Reich by Mark Anthony Neal
Cover of the book Youth Activism in an Era of Education Inequality by Mark Anthony Neal
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy