Episode 18 – Hollywood in Times of Political Division

Disney turned its beloved Snow White into a live action movie – and no one seems happy: some criticize the casting with a Latina star whose skin is not “white as snow,” while others take issue that the color of skin is a topic of controversy at all. And then there’s the problem of the seven dwarves who are, this time around, not dwarves at all which, again, doesn’t please anyone either. The list goes on, and it is exemplary of the way some movies get caught up in the U.S. culture wars. But is this an entirely new phenomenon? How political is Hollywood these days? And might the studios be reigned in by the Trump Administration?We dive into these questions with Suzanne Enzerink, HSG’s Assistant Professor of American Studies. A Dutch native, she did most of her American Studies coursework at the University of Groningen, with an exchange at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, before pursuing a PhD at Brown University. Before joining HSG, she served as an Assistant Professor at American University in Beirut. Her first book, Give Me Color, is scheduled to appear later this year.Suggestions:The ApprenticeAdolescence90 Day Fiancé "Hollywood's Embassies How Movie Theaters Projected American Power Around the World"