Clothed Villainy by Paris, Jamie;

Hosszú leírás:

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Examines how centuries-old stagecraft shaped modern racial politics—and why the performance of whiteness still commands the spotlight.

From Shakespearean blackface to the alt-right's khaki-clad protests, Clothed Villainy: Acting White in in Early Modern Drama by Jamie Paris confronts the uncomfortable truths of racial performance across centuries. Paris argues that whiteness is not a fixed identity but a precarious and performative construct—shaped and sustained through actions, appearances, and cultural scripts.

Drawing on critical race theory, performance studies, and Indigenous scholarship, Clothed Villainy traces how racial scripts—whether ""playing Black,"" ""playing Indian,"" or especially ""playing white""—have been used to uphold white supremacy and erase marginalized identities. By examining the costuming and characterization of white actors portraying Black villains on the early modern stage, Paris reveals how these theatrical traditions continue to echo in contemporary racial politics.

Written with bold clarity and personal insight, this book opens space for reimagining race, history, and identity through a more critical and inclusive lens. Clothed Villainy is essential reading for scholars, students, and anyone seeking to understand the deep-rooted performance of race in society and how we might reimagine it for a more equitable future.

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List of Illustrations

Preface

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1. Unpainted Devils: On Demonism, Whiteness, and Claudius at Prayer

2. ""Mislike Me Not for My Complexion"": On Anti-Black Racism and Performative Whiteness

3. Divines in Show: On the Life-Changing Magic of Whitening Up in Marlowe's Doctor Faustus

4. Bad Blood, Black Desires: On the Fragility of Whiteness in Middleton and Rowley's The Changeling

5. Perceiving Obedience: On White Phenomenology in Shakespeare

Coda on Racial Effacement and Being Black Enough

Notes

Works Cited

Index