Actor and singer Paul Robesons performances in Othello; Show Boat; and The Emperor Jones made him famous; but his midcentury appearances in support of causes ranging from labor and civil rights to antilynching and American warmongering made him notorious. When Robeson announced at the 1949 Paris Peace Conference that it was "unthinkable" for blacks to go to war against the Soviet Union; the mainstream American press declared him insane. Notions of Communism; blackness; and insanity were interchangeably deployed during the Cold War to discount activism such as Robesons; just a part of an array of social and cultural practices that author Tony Perucci calls the Cold War performance complex. Focusing on two key Robeson performances---the concerts in Peekskill; New York; in 1949 and his appearance before the House Committee on Un-American Activities in 1956---Perucci demonstrates how these performances and the governments response to them are central to understanding the history of Cold War culture in the United States. His book provides a transformative new perspective on how the struggle over the politics of performance in the 1950s was also a domestic struggle over freedom and equality. The book closely examines both of these performance events as well as artifacts from Cold War culture---including congressional documents; FBI files; foreign policy papers; the popular literature on mental illness; and government propaganda films---to study the operation of power and activism in American Cold War culture.
#1927432 in eBooks 1996-04-01 1996-04-01File Name: B0099ZFS2M
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. A Good HistoryBy ChesbayBook is very well done. I grew up in Toms River and though I no longer live there I purchased as a gift for family who still does. I read through the book and greatly enjoyed. as did family member . Very good photos and text. very interesting history.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Very pleasedBy anonymousThe book is in great condition. and filled with so many interesting facts about the Toms River.NJ area. Filled with alot of old pictures and I just love the book. find myself reading it over and over. Shipping took a little longer than I wouldve liked but no more than two weeks. If anyone is thinking about buying this book and is from the Toms River area I suggest getting it. it is worth the buy.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy David A. NewmanGreat pictures of my home town especially the buildings that were still around in the 1950s and 60s.
