Made-up Asians : yellowface during the exclusion era / Esther Kim Lee.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Lee, Esther Kim, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Asians--Drama--History and criticism.

Asians.

Stereotypes (Social psychology) in the performing arts.

Racism against Asians--United States--History.

Racism against Asians.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xiii, 268 pages) : illustrations (some color).

Place of Publication:

Ann Arbor, Michigan : University of Michigan Press, 2022.

Summary:

Made-Up Asians traces the history of yellowface, the theatrical convention of non-Asian actors putting on makeup and costume to look East Asian. Using specific case studies from European and U.S. theater, race science, and early film, Esther Kim Lee traces the development of yellowface in the U.S. context during the Exclusion Era (1862-1940), when Asians faced legal and cultural exclusion from immigration and citizenship. These caricatured, distorted, and misrepresented versions of Asians took the place of excluded Asians on theatrical stages and cinema screens. The book examines a wide-ranging set of primary sources, including makeup guidebooks, play catalogs, advertisements, biographies, and backstage anecdotes, providing new ways of understanding and categorizing yellowface as theatrical practice and historical subject. Made-Up Asians also shows how lingering effects of Asian exclusionary laws can still be seen in yellowface performances, casting practices, and anti-Asian violence into the 21st century.

Contents:

Introduction: The Persistence of Yellowface

Chapter 1. "A Dumb Chinese Slave": The Stage Chinaman and Clown Yellowface

Chapter 2. "Chinee by Nature": Physiognomy and Scientific Yellowface

Chapter 3. "How to Makeup": Theatrical Makeup Guidebooks and Private Yellowface

Chapter 4. "Dainty as Needs Be": The White Actress and Cosmetic Yellowface

Chapter 5. "The Oriental Eye": Special Effects Technology and Prosthetic Yellowface

Epilogue: Casting as Gatekeeping

Appendix: Yellowface Instructions in Theatrical Makeup Guidebooks during the Exclusion Era

Notes

Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 249-262) and index.

Description based on information from the publisher.

Other Format:

Print version: Lee, Esther Kim Made-Up Asians

ISBN:

9780472220328

0472220322