(E) CBQ Classics—Vintage Works Still Relevant Today

Abstract

48:79 Split Image: African American in the Mass Media by Jannette L. Dates and William Barlow (Washington, DC: Howard University Press, 1993 (2nd ed.), ISBN: 978-0882581798 [Paperback], 574 pp., Introduction and Conclusion, 10 chapters, photographs, bibliographic essay, index) was an early, if not the first, comprehensive view of AfricanAmericans in the media. Through careful analyses of historical facts, Dates and Barlow offered critical analyses of the cultural representation of African Americans in all arenas of the media at that time, including film, radio, commercial and public television, print and broadcast news, advertising, and public relations. Although they are listed alternately as authors and editors, Dates and Barlow wrote at least 90 percent of the content, with additional contributions from Reebee Garofalo and Lee Thornton. Beginning with a reference to W.E. B. Du Bois’ concept of “double consciousness,” which he described in his 1903 book, Souls of Black Folks, Dates and Barlow applied this idea as a thematic construct to their investigations. In doing so, they provided foundational work in the analysis of identity and media that modeled not only how scholars could approach the duality of mediated representation and social realities, but how history and theory could be used to contextualize such topics. Dates is Dean Emerita of Howard University’s School of Communication [currently named after media pioneer Cathy Hughes], where she served in leadership for close to nineteen years. She is a recognized authority on media and the representations of African Americans in popular culture. Barlow, who died in June 2017, was a longtime Howard University professor in Howard’s department of Radio, Television and Film and a popular radio host for WPFW 89.3 FM in Washington, DC. The Howard University Press, which is no longer active, published the original editions of Split Image. However, WorldCat indicates the location of book copies in libraries and/or online sellers here: http://ou.worldcat.org/title/ split-image-african-americans-in-the-mass-media/oclc/21335850