Work

Ozark matters: implications about Black lives

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: By referring to the White settler post-racial imaginary of the USA, this article examines the slippage, transferability, and political interplay of racial representations into an analysis of the character of Ruth Langmore, a White adolescent woman portrayed in the Netflix series Ozark (2017–2022). Establishing the history of popular culture in the USA as emergent from Blackface, I argue that Ruth is coded, through an eschatological association, fashion styling, and ambient sound, as Black at various points throughout the series. I analyse screengrabs from pop culture and quotes from the showrunner, executive directors, and musical director to demonstrate that the destruction of the Black body is inherited, restricting the survival of Black and Indigenous peoples. Readers are advised that this article contains spoilers about the series Ozark (2017–2022).

Source: AlterNative An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples

DOI: 10.1177/11771801241248853

Author: Sarah Demekech Graham

Institution: The University of Sydney

Language: English

Topic: Cultural Identity and Representation

Subfield: Philosophy

Field: Arts and Humanities

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,450