Passing: a decolonial antropological look at black womens perception of identity and whitening

Abstract

Films, cultural manifestations of their symbolic nature, provide not only a means of representing reality, but also a mechanism for intensifying stereotypes and producing new identities. In this sense, film analysis and visual anthropology are ways of approaching these cinematographic productions in order to promote an expanded understanding of phenomena experienced by different social groups. In this scenario, the American film "Passing", by Rebecca Hall, released in 2021 and inspired by the novel "Passing'', by Nella Larsen, published in 1929, is one of these numerous productions that can provide an interpretation of reality due to portraying the story of Clare Kendry and Irene Redfield approaching issues related to identity and whitening in a way that is sensitive to the perceptions that both have about them. Having this in mind, this research will intend to understand some of the perceptions of black women about identity and whitening. For this, an analysis of the aforementioned film will be carried out (screen ethnography), with an emphasis on these characters and based on visual/filmic anthropology theorists; and semi-structured interviews with three black LGBTQIA+ women selected by the snowball method.