Film has had a contentious and important relationship with the cultural signification of racial identity. Eminent thinkers such as bell hooks and Cornel West have opened up new and important avenues of debate on the subject; however, Chaisson argues that they are mostly focused on the pedagogical effect of film on our conception of racial identity. As an important adjunct to this lens of cultural criticism, Chaisson brings together the voices of minority filmmakers and executives from major studios who are engaged in the industry on a daily level.
For Entertainment Purposes Only?
makes a significant contribution to the literature on this subject by moving the discussion away from the ways in which cultural representations act as sources of knowledge to an examination of the role of power and mediation in the production of cultural representation.