The Representation of Minorities in the Golden Age Western (the 1930s-the 1960s)

master's thesis

• Author: Lara Klarić
• Mentor: Jelena Šesnić (mentor)
• Committee member: Sven Cvek (predsjednik povjerenstva)
• Committee member: Hrvoje Tutek (član povjerenstva)
• Committee member: Jelena Šesnić (član povjerenstva)
• Granter: University of Zagreb; Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences; (Department of English language and literature); Zagreb
• Defense date and country: 2023-09-14, Croatia
• Scientific / art field, discipline and subdiscipline: HUMANISTIC SCIENCES; Philology; Anglistics

Abstract

This paper examines the connection that the Myth of the West and the American national identity have through the Western genre, a genre that is considered to be exclusively American. What is more, the position of minorities, especially Native Americans, is the focus of this paper due to their close connection with the frontier and the Myth of the West. Additionally, the stereotyping of women, African Americans, Asian Americans and Hispanic Americans in representative Westerns is also considered. The paper examines the most common stereotypes that were used to portray minorities in the Western genre and how that image has changed throughout the years, focusing on the Golden Age Western which spans the period from the 1930s to the 1960s. For the analysis of the use of stereotypes and the portrayal of minorities in Westerns, four movies have been chosen: Stagecoach (1939), She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949), Apache (1954) and The Searchers (1956).

• Keywords: the Western; stereotypes; minorities; Native Americans; the Myth of the West; the frontier
• Language: english
• URN:NBN: urn:nbn:hr:131:129727
• Study programme: Title: English Language and Literature (double major); specializations in: Linguistics, Literature and Culture, Translation, TEFL; Course: Literature and Culture; Study programme type: university; Study level: graduate; Academic / professional title: magistar/magistra engleskog jezika i književnosti (magistar/magistra engleskog jezika i književnosti)
• Type of resource: Text
• File origin: Born digital
• Access conditions: Open access
• Created on: 2023-09-18 10:39:45