Melvin Donalson

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Melvin Donalson
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Born
United States
NationalityAmerican
OccupationScholar, professor, author, filmmaker
Academic work
DisciplineFilm studies, African American studies, media studies
Sub-disciplineAfrican American cinema, race and masculinity in film, hip hop culture in media
Notable worksBlack Directors in Hollywood (2003); Hip Hop in American Cinema; Masculinity in the Interracial Buddy Film
Notable ideasRepresentation of race and masculinity in American cinema

Melvin Donalson is an American scholar, professor, author, and filmmaker. His book, Black Directors in Hollywood (University of Texas Press, 2003), was reviewed in major academic journals, including Film Quarterly and the Quarterly Review of Film and Video. His scholarship is also cited in The Cambridge Companion to Hip-Hop, Estudios Irlandeses, and university syllabi across the United States.

Donalson's academic work focuses on African American cinema, race and masculinity in film, and hip hop culture in media. He is the author of several books, including Hip Hop in American Cinema and Masculinity in the Interracial Buddy Film. His teaching career includes positions at UCLA, California State University, Los Angeles, the University of California, Santa Barbara, and Bates College.

Career and Works

Donalson's academic research explores themes of racial identity, masculinity, and genre in American cinema, particularly in works by Black filmmakers. He earned his Ph.D. in American Civilization from Brown University in 1981. His dissertation, The Representation of Afro-American Women in the Hollywood Feature Film, 1915-1949,[1] examined portrayals of Black women in early Hollywood film.

He has taught at institutions including Bates College, the University of California, Santa Barbara, Pasadena City College, UCLA, and California State University, Los Angeles. His courses have included African American studies, American literature, American film history, gender and sexuality, and creative writing.[2]

In 2003, Donalson published Black Directors in Hollywood through the University of Texas Press, offering a critical survey of African American directors and their impact on mainstream cinema. The book was reviewed in several academic journals, including Film Quarterly[3] and the Quarterly Review of Film and Video.[4]

In 2007, he published Hip Hop in American Cinema, which analyzes the evolution of hip hop culture and its impact on film narratives, aesthetics, and casting. His work is cited in The Cambridge Companion to Hip-Hop.[5]

Donalson also served as the editor of Cornerstones: An Anthology of African American Literature and co-editor of the Encyclopedia of African-American Literature.[6] His academic and critical writing often centers on Black identity, masculinity, and media representation.

In addition to his scholarly work, Donalson has published three novels: The River Woman (1988),[7] Communion (2011),[8] and The Third Woman (2019).[9] His poetry collection, Revelations (2017),[10] explores emotional, political, and cultural themes.

His play, The Corner, was performed at the Paul Robeson Theater Festival in Los Angeles in 2017. That same year, he wrote, directed, and staged Shout, a two-act play, at the Fremont Theatre in South Pasadena.[2]

As a filmmaker, Donalson has written, produced, and directed short films including A Room Without Doors (1998) and Performance (2009). He served as associate producer on the documentary Medical Racism: The New Apartheid (2021) and writer-producer on the short fictional film Passage (2021).[2]

Recognition and Academic Influence

Donalson's work is referenced in college courses and academic discussions on race and representation in film. His writing is included in the syllabus for ENG 3810: Literary Explorations: Racism and Justice at California State University, Los Angeles.[11]

His book Black Directors in Hollywood was also featured in the California Institute of the Arts Library’s 2021 Black History Month recommended reading list.[12]

Donalson’s scholarship has been cited internationally, including in the peer-reviewed journal Estudios Irlandeses, in a discussion of masculinity in cinema.[13]

He is also referenced in popular media as a resource on Black cinema, including a mention in Lena Waithe’s podcast episode of Mastering Your Story.[14]

Selected Bibliography

  • Donalson, Melvin. The Representation of Afro-American Women in the Hollywood Feature Film, 1915–1949. ProQuest Dissertations, 1981.
  • Donalson, Melvin. Black Directors in Hollywood. University of Texas Press, 2003.
  • Donalson, Melvin. Hip Hop in American Cinema. Peter Lang Publishing, 2007.
  • Donalson, Melvin. “Denzel Washington: A Revisionist Black Masculinity.” In Pretty People, edited by Lisa A. Barnard, 65–84. Rutgers University Press, 2012. [https://doi.org/10.36019/9780813553252-005]
  • Donalson, Melvin Burke. The River Woman. Fithian Press, 1988. ISBN 978-0-936784-41-0.
  • Donalson, Mel. Communion. WingSpan Press, 2011. ISBN 978-1-59594-453-5.
  • Donalson, Mel. The Third Woman. Wasteland Press, 2019. ISBN 978-1-68111-270-1.
  • Donalson, Mel. Dream Warrior: Passages of a Creative-Scholar. Sunbury Press, 2025. ISBN 979-8-88819-267-2.
  • Donalson, Mel. Revelations. Wasteland Press, 2017. ISBN 978-1-68111-169-8.
  • Donalson, Mel. Shout. Wasteland Press, 2019. ISBN 978-1-68111-191-9.
  • Donalson, Melvin. Entry contributions in Encyclopedia of African-American Literature, edited by Wilfred D. Samuels, Tracie Church Guzzio, and Loretta G. Woodard. Facts on File, 2007. ISBN 978-0-8160-5073-4.

Further Reading

References

  1. ↑ Donalson, Melvin Burke (June 1, 1981). "The Representation of Afro-American Women in the Hollywood Feature Film, 1915–1949". ProQuest Dissertations.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Mel Donalson | Research". Congressional Black Caucus.
  3. ↑ Guerrero, Ed (2005). "Review: Black Directors in Hollywood". Film Quarterly. 58 (4): 54–56. doi:10.1525/fq.2005.58.4.54 – via JSTOR.
  4. ↑ Dreher, Kwakiutl Lynn (2006). "Black Directors in Hollywood edited by Melvin Donalson (Austin: University of Texas Press, 2003)". Quarterly Review of Film and Video. 23 (5): 460–465. doi:10.1080/10509200690902287 – via Taylor & Francis.
  5. ↑ Forman, Murray (February 5, 2015). The Cambridge Companion to Hip-Hop. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press (published 2015). pp. 142–159. ISBN 978-1-107-03746-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  6. ↑ Samuels, Wilfred D. (November 19, 2007). Encyclopedia of African American Literature. Facts on File. ISBN 978-0-8160-5073-4.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  7. ↑ Donalson, Mel (1988). The River Woman. Fithian Press. ISBN 978-0-936784-41-0.
  8. ↑ Donalson, Mel (December 15, 2011). Communion. WingSpan Press. ISBN 978-1-59594-453-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  9. ↑ Donalson, Mel (January 14, 2019). The Third Woman. Wasteland Press. ISBN 978-1-68111-270-1.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  10. ↑ Donalson, Mel (February 13, 2017). Revelations. Wasteland Press. ISBN 978-1-68111-169-8.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  11. ↑ "ENG 3810: Literary Explorations: Racism and Justice". Cal State LA.
  12. ↑ "Celebrating Black History 2021". CalArts Library.
  13. ↑ DÍaz-Cuesta, José (October 31, 2018). "Representations of Masculinities in John Michael McDonagh's Satirical Film Text The Guard". Estudios Irlandeses. 13 (2): 60–76. doi:10.24162/EI2018-8618 – via University of La Rioja.
  14. ↑ "E85. Mastering Your Story with Lena Waithe". Apple Podcasts. November 22, 2023.

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