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Play Objects as Tools of Propaganda: Characterizations of the African American Male

The American Sociological Association

In this study, children's toys constitute the units of analy sis from which inferences are drawn about the labeling process and racial psychology. Emphasis is placed on characterizations of African American males in play arti facts from the years following the Civil War up to and including the Depression years. The general objective of the research is to provide a psychocultural analysis of toys as material objects instrumental in attitude formation and value transmission. To assess the meaning and labeling function of racial play objects as socialization tools, the method of content analysis is used. Department store catalogs and selected historical volumes on toys consti tute the data bases.

This study transcends limited ethnic identification and racial preference attitude experiments that have employed dolls as stimuli. It concentrates instead on toys as the focus of analysis, and on their use as communi cators of racial stereotypes. Five categories of com munication bias are used to ascertain stereotypes as well as propaganda content. The data show that racial games and toys have functioned for decades as disseminators of racially biased images. The results of the examination provide a framework for evaluating the content of con temporary media portrayals of African American males.

Journal of Black Psychology, Vol. 7, No. 1, 1-16 (1980)
DOI: 10.1177/009579848000700101


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