Abstract
Amid immigrant narratives of assimilation, this book focuses on the representations and stereotypes of South Asian characters in American film and television. Exploring key examples in popular culture ranging from Peter Sellers' portrayal of Hrundi Bakshi in the 1968 film The Party to contemporary representations such as Apu from The Simpsons and characters in Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, the book develops the ideas of “accent,” “brownface,” and “brown voice” as new ways to explore the racialization of South Asians beyond visual appearance. The book relates these examples to earlier scholarship on blackface, race, and performance to introduce “accent” as a means of representing racial difference, national origin, and belonging, as well as distinctions of class and privilege. While focusing on racial impersonations in mainstream film and television, the book also amplifies the work of South Asian American actors who push back against brown-voice performances, showing how strategic use of accent can expand and challenge such narrow stereotypes.
Published Version
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