Representing

the long version

In this book, S. Craig Watkins examines two of the most important developments in the recent history of black cinemathe ascendancy of Spike Lee and the proliferation of "ghettocentric films" like Boyz N the Hood and Menace II Society. Representing explores a distinct contradiction in American society: at the same time that black youth have become the targets of a fierce racial backlash against crime, drugs, affirmative action, and rap music, their popular expressive cultures have become highly visible and commercially viable. Further, Watkins considers the imprint of black youth on the landscape of black filmmaking.