NCA 93rd Annual Convention (US), November 15, 2007

Queer Keanu: Race, Sexuality and the Politics of Passing

by LeiLani Nishime

This paper was presented at the annual meeting of the NCA 93rd Annual Convention at Chicago, Illinois on Nov 15, 2007.

Original link: http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p192054_index.html.

Abstract

This paper traces the construction of Keanu Reeves' racially and sexually ambiguous star persona through his film roles, movie reviews, celebrity profiles, and fan sites, and situates him at the intersection of discourses of race and sexuality. By examining how sexuality, particularly rhetorics of closeting and outing, inform racialized discussions of Reeves, this paper links the characterization of Reeves as inauthentic to questions of faithfulness and allegiance so key to identity politics.

Queer Keanu: Race, Sexuality and the Politics of Passing (PDF file, 609 KB)

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Works Cited:

  1. Cooper, Dennis. "Keanu Reeves." Interview, September 1990, 132-37
  2. Fischer, Paul. Keanu's Back in Black as the Matrix Reloads.
  3. Taylor, Charles. "Something in the Way He Moves: in Defense of Keanu Reeves." In Salon.com. April 29, 1999.



Tagged:
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