The Black Culture Industry

Cashmore's controversial study argues that black culture has been converted into a commodity, usually in the interests of white owned corporations; that blacks have been permitted success within the entertainment industry only on the condition that they conform to certain stereotypes; and that black entrepreneurs, when they rise to the top of corporate entertainment ladder, have tended to act precisely as whites have in similar circumstances. Using detailed studies of the marketing of Motown, Michael Jackson and the artist formerly known as Prince, Cashmore suggests that inflating the significance of this commodified "black culture" may actually be counter-productive in the struggle for racial justice and that its most significant--and pernicious effect may be in signalling the end of racism while keeping the racial hierarchy essentially intact.