What question did this study set out to answer?

The research aims to explore how white masculinity evolved in New Hollywood from the 1950s to the 1970s.

March 1, 2026Open Access

New Hollywood and Countercultural Whiteness. Affective Affinities and the Politics of Male Expressivi

TKTill KadritzkeFreie Universität Berlin

Key Points

The research aims to explore how white masculinity evolved in New Hollywood from the 1950s to the 1970s.
Case study approach focusing on New Hollywood films and cultural narratives.
Analysis of cultural documents and films from the 1950s to 1970s.
Consideration of sociopolitical contexts influencing portrayals of masculinity.
Identified a new subject position termed countercultural whiteness.
Revealed connections between affective deficits in society and changes in male expression.
Noted the influence of countercultural whiteness on the resurgence of conservative politics.

Abstract

This book uses the New Hollywood as a case study for affective and discursive transformations of white masculinity between the 1950s and the 1970s. It identifies a subject position of countercultural whiteness that emerged during that period as a response to a widely diagnosed affective deficit within US society. This subject position was politically promiscuous and ultimately helped pave the way for a revitalization of conservative forces.

KI fragen

Bookmark

View Full Paper