Date of Award
1-1-2018
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.A. in Southern Studies
Department
Southern Studies
First Advisor
Adam Gussow
Second Advisor
Theresa Starkey
Third Advisor
Kathryn McKee
Relational Format
dissertation/thesis
Abstract
Through an analysis of print advertisements and of research gathered at the Jim Crow Museum of Racial Memorabilia, this thesis intends to explore how the Aunt Jemima brand from the early 1890’s to the present day has utilized multiple marketing strategies in order to garner consumer attention. Focusing specifically on Karen Cox’s notion of the “southern tableau,” M. M. Manring’s investment in Aunt Jemima as a Slave in A Box, and Patricia Yaeger’s theory of the “throwaway body,” this thesis will look at how elements of print advertising, the Aunt Jemima pancake-box, and racist memorabilia intersect. In order to experiment with the topic, this thesis has adapted Yaeger’s theory of the “throwaway body,” and has applied it to the life cycle of the Aunt Jemima pancake box, with the acknowledgement that if the icon is transformed into an item of racial memorabilia, she may be saved from disposal.
Recommended Citation
Robinson, Holly, "Marketing the Myth: The Racial Commodification and Reclaiming of Aunt Jemima" (2018). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1235.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/1235