Paying the dues: black documentary film and the quest for truth

Author(s):
Ellethy, M. (0000-0002-5647-3208)
Published
2025
Publication type
Doctoral Thesis

Abstract

Paying the Dues: Black Documentary Film and the Quest for Truth is an examination of the partially forgotten vibrant history of Black documentary film as a form of art, cultural resistance, and self-expression in the 1960s. This renaissance in Black engagement with documentary in the 1960s, constituted a quest for truth.This dissertation explores how in their quest for truth, the wave of Black documentary renaissance films sought to reveal truth-narratives about pressing issues that confronted Black communities across the nation, bringing to the forefront discussions about Black identity, visuality, diversity, solidarity, gender, and imagination.

Documentary filmAfrican American historyCultural resistanceSolidarityCultural studiesBlack radical tradition1960sCivil rights
Defense date
2025-05-27
Language
English
Supervisor(s)
Pargas, D.A.
Advisor(s)
Schmidli, M.; Hesselberth, P.
Committee member(s)
Joseph, P.E.; Korsten, F.W.; Fazzi, D.; Roberts, K.; Owens, J.M.
Qualification
Ph.D.
Degree granting institution
Leiden University institute of History, Faculty of Humanities, Leiden University, Leiden
hdl
1887/4247292
doi
10.60602/1887/4247292