Minstrelsy Beyond the ‘West’: Deflections, Continuities and the Un/Knowing of Race in Singapore

The blackface minstrel reflects Black histories of slavery, repression and dehumanisation that further devolved into a ‘mess entertainment politics, love hate, attraction repulsion, class race consciousness, sincere imitation cruel mockery’ (Strausbaugh, J., 2006. Like You: Blackface, Whiteface, Insult & Imitation in American Popular Culture. New York: Penguin: 92). racist origins hail from shows the nineteenth century US, derogatorily mimicking slavery through use greasepaint or burnt cork, reproducing tropes unruliness, slovenliness, hypersexuality laziness. This portrayal was seen theatre, film animation, stretching across genres dramatic to comedy vaudeville entertainment. While vary other forms racial impersonation, they meet at intersection misrecognition racism. Practices impersonation beyond ‘west’ raise questions relevance, if for instance should be subject criticisms racism, given latter’s ‘western’ provenance. Moving this argument, article asks what justifies perpetuation when is no longer condoned elsewhere, how themes such as inferiorisation discrimination travel. With brownface advertisement Singapore its case study, considers racialised groups contexts are ‘minstrelised,’ their implications.