Honors College Theses

Publication Date

2022

Major

Multimedia Film & Production (B.S.)

Document Type and Release Option

Thesis (open access)

Faculty Mentor

Matthew Hashiguchi

Abstract

Despite historical demographic data indicating otherwise, much of the Western Film Genre depicts The Cowboy as a white male individual. Previous research has demonstrated that filmmakers often tell and depict stories within which they identify themselves, and with the predominant population of directors within the Western Genre being that of white men, the narrative of the West being portrayed on screen has shifted public perception to an inaccurate portrayal of the history of the West. From Vaqueros to liberated slaves, much of the Cowboy community was comprised of Black, Spanish, Mexican, and Indigenous people of color. This study employed a quantitative analysis and discussion of the race of the top- billed performers in the IMDb Top 100 Westerns of All Time to better understand the dominant American perception of The Cowboy iconography. Contrary to the historical demographic data, 100% of all top billed performers were White. This clearly indicates the disparity between historically accurate demographic data and modern Hollywood representation of the Cowboy. This data is significant, because it gives an accurate depiction of how representation can affect the long term perception of a historical icon.

Thesis Summary

Despite historical demographic data indicating otherwise, much of the Western Film Genre depicts The Cowboy as a white male individual. Previous research has demonstrated that filmmakers often tell and depict stories within which they identify themselves, and with the predominant population of directors within the Western Genre being that of white men, the narrative of the West being portrayed on screen has shifted public perception to an inaccurate portrayal of the history of the West. From Vaqueros to liberated slaves, much of the Cowboy community was comprised of Black, Spanish, Mexican, and Indigenous people of color. This study employed a quantitative analysis and discussion of the race of the top- billed performers in the IMDb Top 100 Westerns of All Time to better understand the dominant American perception of The Cowboy iconography. Contrary to the historical demographic data, 100% of all top billed performers were White. This clearly indicates the disparity between historically accurate demographic data and modern Hollywood representation of the Cowboy. This data is significant, because it gives an accurate depiction of how representation can affect the long term perception of a historical icon.

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