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Podcast: New Books in German Studies
Episode: David Ciarlo, âAdvertising Empire: Race and Visual Culture in Imperial Germanyâ (Harvard UP, 2011)
Description: If youâre a native-born American, youâre probably familiar with Aunt Jemima (pancake syrup), Uncle Ben (precooked rice), and Rastus (oatmeal)âcommercial icons all. They were co-oped in whole or part from stock characters in American minstrel shows, largely because they suggested to white consumers a comforting though bygone hospitality. Aunt Jemima said âYou might not have a loving mammy to do your home cookinâ, but you can eat as if you did.â
I grew up with Aunt Jemima and loved her syrup dearly, so I knew this. But I did not know that a similar tradition of...