Film studies professor awarded grant to finish book on portrayal of African-American soldiers in film

Elizabeth Reich, professor of film studies
Elizabeth Reich, professor of film studies

Elizabeth Reich, professor of film studies, has been awarded a $6,000 summer stipend from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) for advanced research in the humanities. The prestigious grant will provide funding for Reich to complete her first book this summer.

The book, “Hollywood’s Invisible Men: Black Soldiers and the Transformation of American Spectatorship,” focuses on the portrayal of black soldiers in film, beginning with World War II propaganda and progressing through the Cold War and Civil Rights Movement. The book will also include the important roles played by black filmmakers and artists during these decades.

“This book is my effort to understand how antagonistic political forces collaborated on changing radical representation and film spectatorship practices at a pivotal moment in United States history,” Reich said.

The summer stipends program is highly competitive, receiving roughly 1,000 applications per year and funding around 8 percent. The grant is 100 percent federally funded.



April 15, 2015