In the U.S., Black childhood has been underimagined. The representational vocabulary of Black childhood is fraught with dehumanizing and adultifying imagery and sounds—from representations of “Topsy” and “Black Sambo” to caricatures of pickaninnies and their many (re)iterations in U.S. popular culture. Popular music is one expressive domain wherein artists and audiences alike have contested and reinforced the peculiar adultification and infantilization that have long haunted Black American life. In the years surrounding the Trump presidency, numerous Black popular music artists made childhood a primary feature of their artistic output through vocal technique, lyrical content, merchandise, music videos, social media, and more. At the precise moment when white innocence was wielded most violently and obviously on the national stage, these artists challenged the assumed goodness and whiteness of innocence and its relation to childhood, performing capacious versions of free Black childhoods to various ends. This dissertation turns to the performance of childhood as a productive domain of inquiry and focuses on four artists/groups—Tank and the Bangas, Chance the Rapper, Jamila Woods, and Noname—all of whom chart a liberatory politics of Black childhood through sound. Through the poetics and aesthetics of their work, I theorize and historicize four interrelated, childhood-adjacent concepts: nostalgia, vulnerability, innocence, and freedom. Methodologically, I attempt to turn the tables on how vulnerability has normally been rendered in ethnographies. I blend (auto)ethnography about my own experiences as a white father of a multi-racial child with critical theory to analyze live and mediated performances of popular music. I look to music as a poetic and aesthetic space with which to not only grapple with the realities faced by Black children in the United States, but also to affirm Black childhood as a space of freedom, play, possibility, and joy. Ultimately, I make two interrelated assertions: (1) foregrounding Black childhood in our social analysis urges the necessity of abolition and (2) popular music is a primary conduit through which we can imagine an abolitionist future free of police, prisons, and the carceral logics that undergird their imagined necessity.

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<p dir="ltr">This thesis explores the dynamic evolution of cartoons as a medium of public pedagogy, focusing on the portrayal of morality, the changing landscape of moral narratives across networks or studios through time, and its intricate influence on relationships. Cartoons, spanning from the American classic era of Looney Tunes and Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! to the contemporary phenomena of The Dragon Prince and Miraculous: The Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir, act as potent agents of social education. Understanding cartoons as an accessible form of public pedagogy, this research examines the moral dichotomy of good and evil archetypes depicted in these animations. By analyzing the diverse approaches of networks and studios across time, this thesis uncovers the nuances of moral storytelling, revealing the intricate interplay of social values and creative choices. Furthermore, the thesis investigates the portrayal of relationships within these moral contexts, emphasizing the impact of animated narratives on societal perceptions of interpersonal connections.</p>

Winsor McCay drew delightful drawings about the dreams of a Welsh rarebit fiend, 'rare bits' inspired by an overindulgence in cheese. Dreams of the Rarebit Fiend was a Saturday cartoon that appeared in the New York Evening Telegram from 1904 to 1911, psychic twin to Little Nemo in Slumberland that appeared concurrently in the Sunday Funnies of the New York Herald from 1905-1911. 'Slumberland' was a Neo-classical fantasy that closely resembled the idealized White City of the Chicago World's Fair (1893), that inspired the architecture of Coney Island's Dreamland (1905-1911), which beckoned to McCay as he drew from his house just across Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn. The capricious side of this Architecture emerged in McCay's cartoons. A self-taught illustrator, McCay began his career in Detroit working in dime museums, worlds of wonder—filled with monsters—dioramas and sideshow performers whose livelihood depended on their ability to amaze an audience. Just this sort of rare and gifted fellow, McCay parlayed his entertaining lampoonery of Slumberland into some of the world's first animations on vaudeville. As with the Rarebit Fiend, Little Nemo's dreams were brought on by overindulgence, in his case of too many donuts or Huckleberry Pie. But, this was merely a pretense for McCay's fantastical 'dream' mode of thinking, a potentially useful body of knowledge that was simultaneously explored by Sigmund Freud, Henri Bergson and Marcel Proust, who linked the mechanisms employed by the unconscious in dreaming to those at play in wit. Architectural drawing—seen through McCay's cartoons and early animations—has a kind of 'gastronomical' alchemy that inadvertently became a treatise on the architectural imagination. Fiend and Little Nemo affected the psychic mood of early modern Architecture—its 'childhood' in the milieu of White Cities—that was both added to and commented on by Winsor McCay's pen. His cartoons portray the hidden 'flavors' of the buildings springing up a century ago. This 'other'—surreal—aspect of the White Cities, seasoned with whirling iron Ferris wheels and Flip-Flop rides, newly invented elevators and electric lights—and even fun house mirrors that made buildings suddenly seem very tall—were the ingredients that caused the fiend and Nemo to wake up, which ultimately became the culinary school of modern Architecture. McCay's 'fiendish' depictions show us that the right blend of humor and awe is a recipe for happiness. / Doctor of Philosophy / Winsor McCay made cartoons of the 'nightmares' of a Rarebit Fiend with a witty, unflinching eye for detail. Those illustrations became a psychic twin to the architectural fantasies of a little boy in the 'funnies' section of the New York newspapers from 1905-1911. Dreams of the Rarebit Fiend and Little Nemo in Slumberland continue to entertain and edify us, while inadvertently acting as a guide to how the imagination works. McCay's celebrity as a cartoonist also led him to become one of the world's first animators, amazing vaudeville audiences with depictions of Little Nemo that were suddenly larger than life, illuminated, and mobile. Dreams were rediscovered in the early twentieth century as useful bodies of knowledge for understanding the self, seen through the writings of Sigmund Freud, Henri Bergson and Marcel Proust, who linked the mechanisms employed by the unconscious 'dreamer' to those at play in wit. That thinking was surrounded by the atmosphere in McCay's comedic sequential images, which in turn inspired the iconic dreamlike silent movies of Buster Keaton. A look at the birth of these art forms a hundred years ago provides insight into the psychic mood of early modern Architecture, but also to the imagining of today's world (both material and virtual) using the digital tools that are just being invented. Although McCay's cartoons are fiendish, they sustain the balance between dreaming and humor that is essential to imagining a happy modern life.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Many questions have been asked as to why sub-Saharan Africa, and particularly South Africa, has such a high incidence of HIV/AIDS. While social and economic power imbalances between the sexes, coupled by the biological vulnerability of women, play an important role in the rapid spread of South Africa’s HIV/AIDS epidemic, what truly seems to set South Africa apart from the rest of the world is the high incidence of multiple or concurrent sexual relationships. Multiple or concurrent sexual relationships are defined as sexual partnerships that overlap in time, when one partnership starts before another terminates. These types of relationships have the potential to create complex sexual networks – commonly referred to as a “sexual superhighway” – for the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, most notably HIV/AIDS. While the practice of multiple or concurrent sexual relationships is to a large extent under-reported by the South African media, a great deal of media attention is given to President Jacob Zuma’s practice of polygamy as a Zulu cultural tradition. The researcher proposes that Zuma’s intimate partnerships stray from the well-defined parameters of cultural polygamy and that he does, in fact, has multiple or concurrent sexual relationships that fall outside the boundaries of polygamy. The researcher further proposes that the example set by the President in his personal life has an effect on the general morality of the South African people and especially on women’s status in society. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Baie vrae is al gevra oor hoekom sub-Sahara Afrika, en spesifiek Suid-Afrika, so ʼn hoë voorkoms van MIV/Vigs het. ʼn Sosiale en ekonomiese magswanbalans tussen mans en vroue, tesame met die verhoogde biologiese kwesbaarheid van vroue vir seksueel-oordraagbare siektes, speel ʼn rol in die vinnige verspreiding van die MIV/Vigs epidemie in Suid-Afrika maar wat ons blykbaar onderskei van die res van die wêreld is die hoë voorkoms van veelvuldige of samelopende seksuele verhoudings. Veelvuldige of samelopende seksuele verhoudings word gedefinieer as verhoudings wat oorvleuel of waar een verhouding begin voordat ʼn vorige verhouding beëindig is. Hierdie tipe verhoudings het die potensiaal om komplekse seksuele netwerke te vorm – algemeen beskryf as “seksuele super-snelweë” – waarbinne seksueel-oordraagbare siektes, insluitende MIV/Vigs, vinnig kan versprei. Terwyl veelvuldige of samelopende seksuele verhoudings min aandag geniet in die Suid-Afrikaanse media, is daar wel ʼn fokus op President Jacob Zuma se uitlewing van sy Zulu-tradisie van poligamie. Die navorser stel egter voor dat Zuma se intieme verhoudings afwyk van die goedge-definieerde riglyne van kulturele poligamie en dat hy in werklikheid eerder veelvuldige of samelopende seksuele verhoudings het wat buite die reëls van poligamie val. Die navorser stel verder voor dat die voorbeeld wat die President in sy persoonlike lewe stel ʼn uitwerking het op die moraliteit van Suid-Afrikaners en veral op die status van vroue in die samelewing.

This problem's investigation deals with gauging the artistic influence, if any, pioneer editorial cartoonist John Knott had on his successors, Ficklen and McClanahan. Information was gathered through interviews and the pages of the Dallas Morning News. Organization is as follows: introduction, biography and art of Knott, biography and art of Ficklen, biography and art of McClanahan, summary and conclusion. The study found minimal artistic influence by Knott on the cartoons of Ficklen and McClanahan. Compared to Knott, Ficklen and McClanahan had different art backgrounds, cartoon styles, personal and political beliefs. Knott's successors admired different artists, drew during a different editorial page emphasis and had more freedom in cartoon selection than Knott did. Neither Ficklen nor McClanahan listed Knott as an artistic influence.

Mode of access: World Wide Web. / Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 217-239). / Electronic reproduction. / Also available by subscription via World Wide Web / xv, 239 leaves, bound ill., map 29 cm

CAPES / O estudo busca analisar tiras cômicas na internet, a partir de três autores diferentes: Carlos Ruas, criador do "Um Sábado Qualquer", André Farias, do "Vida de Suporte", e William Leite, autor do "Willtirando". O debate engloba a relação entre quadrinhos e tecnologia, esmiuçando o sentido das tiras. Essa discussão qualitativa é agregada por dados quantitativos, através dos quais o trabalho evidencia possíveis desdobramentos para a linguagem das tiras cômicas online, tais como a tendência de expansão no formato; a crescente hibridação com imagens de variados tipos; e o fenômeno de aproximação entre as esferas autor/leitor no suporte digital. Também foram discutidas produções de um tipo mais incomum: as tiras digitais, que incorporam animação em sua narrativa. Ao fim do estudo, discutimos um protótipo de tira cômica online a partir dos formatos mais utilizados pelos autores, a fim de reiterar a natureza deste gênero discursivo: uma narrativa breve, cujo desfecho é inesperado e resulta no humor. / The study aims to analyze comic strips on the internet, from three different artists: Carlos Ruas, creator of "Um Sábado Qualquer", André Farias, of "Vida de Suporte," and William Leite, author of "Willtirando". The discussion covers the relationship between comics and technology by analyzing the comic strip and the construction of its meaning. The qualitative reflection is aggregated by quantitative data, through which the work shows possible outcomes for the language of the online comic strips, such as the expansion in the format; increased hybridization with various types of images; and the approach phenomenon between the spheres author/reader in digital format. Productions of a most unusual kind also were discussed: the digital comic strips, that incorporate animated effects on its narrative. At the end of the study, we present an online comic strip prototype from the most popular formats used by the authors, in order to reiterate the nature of the comic strips: a brief narrative whose outcome is unexpected and results in humor.

CAPES / No presente trabalho serão analisadas representações de feminilidades em dois periódicos distintos: as Melindrosas na revista Para Todos... e a coluna Garotas na revista O Cruzeiro. Os recortes compreendem os anos de 1922 a 1930 para as Melindrosas e de 1938 a 1946 para as Garotas, privilegiando uma sequência entre décadas subsequentes, de modo a entender como as representações de feminilidades se modificaram ou se mantiveram. Interessa também investigar de que maneira o humor e a visualidade contribuíram para normatizar papéis e relações entre gênero, em conjunto com políticas públicas. As revistas visavam trazer a identificação com discursos hierarquizantes, atuando como pedagogia de gênero. Contudo, percebe-se que o humor buscou, nas fissuras das representações, a dupla moral, na qual as mulheres negociavam espaços de atuação e liberdade. Tanto Melindrosas quanto Garotas possuíam táticas de convencimento e de sedução que as levaram a realizar desejos e a conquistar alguns de seus objetivos. Elas questionaram e enfatizaram as contradições e tensões das respectivas décadas. Por vezes, indicavam pretextos para pensar nas mudanças sociais, de comportamentos e no modo como os homens se colocavam neste quadro. / In the present work femininity representations will be analyzed in two separate journals: the Flappers in the magazine Para Todos... and the Garotas column in the magazine O Cruzeiro. The cuts include the period from 1922 to 1930 for the Flappers and 1938-1946 for Garotas, favoring to a sequence of subsequent decades, in order to understand how representations of femininity have changed or remained. We also want to investigate how the mood and visuality contributed to standardize roles and relationships between gender, together with public policy. Magazines aimed to bring identification with hierarchized speeches, acting as gender pedagogy. However, we notice that humor sought in the fissures of the representations, the double standard, in which women were negotiated spaces of action and freedom. Both the Flappers and the Garotas used tactics to convince and seduction that led them to grant wishes and achieve some of their goals. They questioned and emphasized the contradictions and tensions of their respective decades. Sometimes indicated pretexts to think about the social changes of behavior and how men were placed in this board.

CAPES / No presente trabalho serão analisadas representações de feminilidades em dois periódicos distintos: as Melindrosas na revista Para Todos... e a coluna Garotas na revista O Cruzeiro. Os recortes compreendem os anos de 1922 a 1930 para as Melindrosas e de 1938 a 1946 para as Garotas, privilegiando uma sequência entre décadas subsequentes, de modo a entender como as representações de feminilidades se modificaram ou se mantiveram. Interessa também investigar de que maneira o humor e a visualidade contribuíram para normatizar papéis e relações entre gênero, em conjunto com políticas públicas. As revistas visavam trazer a identificação com discursos hierarquizantes, atuando como pedagogia de gênero. Contudo, percebe-se que o humor buscou, nas fissuras das representações, a dupla moral, na qual as mulheres negociavam espaços de atuação e liberdade. Tanto Melindrosas quanto Garotas possuíam táticas de convencimento e de sedução que as levaram a realizar desejos e a conquistar alguns de seus objetivos. Elas questionaram e enfatizaram as contradições e tensões das respectivas décadas. Por vezes, indicavam pretextos para pensar nas mudanças sociais, de comportamentos e no modo como os homens se colocavam neste quadro. / In the present work femininity representations will be analyzed in two separate journals: the Flappers in the magazine Para Todos... and the Garotas column in the magazine O Cruzeiro. The cuts include the period from 1922 to 1930 for the Flappers and 1938-1946 for Garotas, favoring to a sequence of subsequent decades, in order to understand how representations of femininity have changed or remained. We also want to investigate how the mood and visuality contributed to standardize roles and relationships between gender, together with public policy. Magazines aimed to bring identification with hierarchized speeches, acting as gender pedagogy. However, we notice that humor sought in the fissures of the representations, the double standard, in which women were negotiated spaces of action and freedom. Both the Flappers and the Garotas used tactics to convince and seduction that led them to grant wishes and achieve some of their goals. They questioned and emphasized the contradictions and tensions of their respective decades. Sometimes indicated pretexts to think about the social changes of behavior and how men were placed in this board.