Boxing in the Shadow of the Global Color Line
April 15, 2012
Runstedtler, assistant professor of American studies at the University of Buffalo, presents an unexpected yet wholly authentic take on the great African American boxer, Jack Johnson; namely, that his impact extended beyond the U.S. to such far-flung nations as Australia, South Africa, the Philippines, even India and Sri Lanka, where indigenous dark populations were finding one black man's success against his white opponents empowering in their own resistance to their dominant white populations. Runstedtler does a good job of setting the historical context, from American and European colonists linking their dominance to the fitness of white people (hence their displeasure when Johnson prevailed) to the commodification of mass culture, which made it easy for colonized populations everywhere to view the black fighter's prowess in their local movie theaters. The book, while ostensibly about one boxer's influence during the early 1900s, also indirectly shows in relief the global color line that still exists.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)
Starred review from July 1, 2012
Heavyweight champion Jack Johnson (1878-1946) was given to living large, embarrassing white opponents, and consorting with white women at a time when Jim Crow flourished at home and the doctrine of the "white man's burden" was encircling the globe. Therefore, even when he fled the United States after a Mann Act conviction, he couldn't escape racism. He and other wandering African American athletes and entertainers, however, inspired waves of pride among people of color everywhere through their successes in the face of prejudice. Runstedtler (American studies, Univ. of Buffalo) makes Johnson the centerpiece of what is also a study of global black-white relations during his era. VERDICT A scholarly treatise, this will be passed over by casual boxing fans, but it is a fascinating must-read for students of African American or American studies covering the early 1900s.--Jim Burns, Jacksonville P.L., FL
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