Beyond a ‘Just’ Syntax: Black Actresses, Hollywood and Complex Personhood

This article examines how Oscar winning African American women have negotiated a tension between representing stereotype and constructing complex personhood. The author argues that ‘complex personhood’ has meant publicly utilizing stereotype while imaginatively reaching toward identities as individuals and representatives of communities they wish to claim. Through reviews of their performances and the stories they tell about their own struggles with derogatory narratives about black womanhood, the essay calls for complex and generous readings of their performances.