Malcolmania: The Cultural Rebirth Of Malcolm X As Pop Icon

Bachelor Thesis from the year 2004 in the subject American Studies - Culture and Applied Geography, grade: 1,15, University of Bayreuth, language: English, abstract: I am interested in the reasons for, the mechanics, and the consequences of Malcolmania. I want to explore why black youths in the 1990s were overly receptive for the entertainment and fashion industry's repackaging of Malcolm X. I will study how the fashion industry, Spike Lee, and rappers interpreted and portrayed Malcolm in popular culture. Finally, I want to analyze how these interpretations influenced the reception and meaning of the historical figure Malcolm X in the 1990s. Since Malcolmania draws on Malcolm s reception and meaning in the 1960s, both the reasons for Malcolmania and the altered meaning of Malcolm X in the 1990s can only be studied in the light of the 1960s. Thus, chapter 2 will first explore the political and socio-economic conditions of the 1950s and 1960s, second analyze the three major stages in Malcolm s life, and third examine how Malcolm s messages were received by both black and white Americans. Once I have identified Malcolm s reception and meaning in the 1960s, I will be able to point out the reasons for Malcolm s cultural rebirth by looking at the connections between what Malcolm meant in the 1960s and what African-American youths want to hear in the 1990s. In chapter 3, I will analyze how fashion, film, and rap portrayed Malcolm, and how each portrayal had a different effect on the reception and meaning of Malcolm s legacy in the 1990s. The interpretation of Malcolm s legacy is particularly wide open as he held vastly different opinions during his lifetime. Malcolm s reception thus depends heavily on how Spike Lee and rappers interpret and represent him in fashion, film, and music. Consequently, chapter 3.1 will analyze Spike Lee s Malcolm X; chapter 3.2 will examine Malcolm s appearance in rap music. In chapter 3.1, I will describe the way Lee portrayed his protagonist, study Lee s merchandising of Malcolm, and look at the audience he courted to. Chapter 3.2 will explore the connection of Malcolm and rap to oral African-American traditions such as talking back or signifying, discuss the link between the development of rap and Malcolm, and illustrate the reception of Malcolm by rappers such as Ice Cube. In the conclusion, I will summarize what Malcolmania did to Malcolm s legacy, point out Malcolmania s integrational and separational aspects in regard to American society, and examine the gains and losses of Malcolm s commercialization for the black community.