Rhae Lynn Barnes, a scholar at Princeton, has published a new book titled "Darkology: Blackface and the American Way of Entertainment," which examines the pervasive history of amateur minstrelsy in American life from the 19th through 20th centuries. Drawing on two decades of archival research, Barnes reveals how blackface performances were not confined to professional theaters but were common in living rooms, schools, USO shows, fraternal lodges, and even Japanese internment camps, involving figures like Shirley Temple, Frank Sinatra, and Bing Crosby.
This book matters because it challenges the common narrative that blackface minstrelsy disappeared after 1900, showing instead how it became deeply embedded in American culture through everyday institutions such as schools, churches, and fraternal orders. By documenting how these performances perpetuated harmful racial stereotypes and were upheld by teachers, pastors, and politicians as authentic representations of Black life, Barnes underscores the ongoing legacy of racial inequality in American visual and performing cultures. Her work also highlights the difficulties of researching this history, as archives remain segregated and access is often restricted.