Racebending
The current socio-political landscape greatly concerns issues of ethnicity and race. One of the problems that have come to light because of it is a problem of racebending or racial masquerade in the media and entertainment industry. These terms refer to such manifestations of institutional racism as whitewashing, blackwashing, and xenoface (Russel 267). Whitewashing is defined as casting white actors to play roles of black or ethnic people, and blackwashing is defined as the opposite: casting people of color to play traditionally white roles. Xenoface is the practice of casting people of color in parts of alien or robotic life forms which requires concealing their natural features. Given that the entertainment industry significantly influences today’s society and reflects its movement, research in this area is essential.
Research Design
In order to thoroughly and earnestly investigate this issue, the research would be designed using methods of both quantitative and qualitative nature. Before determining the methods, several steps would have to be taken. First would be defining the aim of the work, which would be to investigate specifics of racebending in the current society. The research design would be descriptive since it will underline characteristics, trends, and averages. The data collection methods would include the employment of secondary data, such as databases of surveys and other studies. It would also include the literature review, a method that is both qualitative and quantitative. This method enables the evaluation of trends within a certain topic.
Conclusion
In conclusion, racebending represents a social issue that stems from institutional racism. It is highly prominent in the entertainment industry, which influences the world and its people. Several methods need to be employed to investigate this phenomenon and its impacts on society. These methods include secondary surveys and literature reviews, which allow us to discover and comprehend trends and characteristics within the subject matter.
Work Cited
Russell, John G. “Trading Races: Albescence, Staining, Xenoface, and Other Race‐Switching Practices in American Popular Culture.” The Journal of American Culture, vol. 41, no. 3, 2018, pp. 267–278.