THE PERFORMANCE OF AUTHENTICITY: NEOLIBERALISM AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF BLACK IDENTITY IN JUSTIN SIMIEN'S DEAR WHITE PEOPLE (2014)

Abstract

The research analyzes Justin Simien's 2014 film Dear White People using methods from critical race theory and neoliberal critique. The analysis focuses on how this movie explores racial identity development in today's American society within an elite university environment dominated by white students. Through its depiction of multiple Black identity displays this paper demonstrates Simien's complex examination of both simplified racial stereotypes and the 21st-century personal branding requirement which controls contemporary identity expression. This research examines Dear White People using detailed textual evaluations of significant moments and character transformations to reveal how the film contests fixed ideas about Blackness together with its examination of racial identity trading in neoliberal capitalist systems. This study contributes fresh perspectives to academic debates about representation themes alongside authenticity investigations and identity politics within modern American motion pictures.