This article seeks to raise questions about historiographical practice, challenge the reliance on apparently stable discourses of nation and race within contemporary historiography, and expand understanding of the potential and multiple sites of influence in which television operated during its early years as a popular medium. Drawing on principles articulated by Foucault and de Certeau about the production and generation of knowledge, the article critiques previous historical examinations of Amos ‘n’ Andy for overlooking salient features of the television program's cultural and industrial context, as well as its syndication run from the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s. Using information about the syndication of Amos ‘n’ Andy gleaned principally from entertainment and advertising trade journals, the article points out how a more thorough understanding of the local, regional, and international context and of industrial practices may prove essential for recognizing possibilities about the patterns and circulation of cultural beliefs and historiographical norms.
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Amos ‘n’ Andy in Britain: U.S. Filmed Series Receives Divided Notices in B.B.C. Bow. 1954. New York Times, 24 April, 35-35.
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“Amos'n'Andy” on B.B.C. Is Protested by White. 1954. New York Times, 9 April, 19-19.
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Amos ‘n’ Andy Return, Stir Little Furor. 1964. Chicago Daily Tribune, 6 June, sec. 1A, p. 2-2.
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“Amos'n'Andy” Show Banned by Kenya TV. 1963. New York Times, 5 October, 53-53.
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“Amos‘n’ Andy”(13th Time 'Round) Kicks Upa Fuss on Chi's UHF'er. 1964. Variety235, no. 2 (3 June): 50-50, 60-60.
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Aussies on U.S. Telepix Buying Spree; 7 CBS Series Acquired. 1956. Variety201, no. 9 (1 February): 42-42.
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B.B.C. Gets Rights to “Amos ‘n’ Andy”: TV Series Will Start April 21 in Britain— Group Also to Show “Range Rider.”1954. New York Times, 7 April, 47-47.
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CBS Radio Bumping All Soapers, Some Drama Segs in Converting to an All-News & Personality Network. 1960. Variety219, no. 11 (10 August): 21-21, 39-39.
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Chicago Station Begins“Amos'n'Andy” Reruns. 1964. New York Times, 6 June, 13-13.
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Cripps, Thomas. 1983. Amos 'n'Andyand the Debate over American Racial Integration. In American History/American Television: Interpreting the Video Past, edited by John E. O'Connor. New York: Frederick Ungar.
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de Certeau, Michel. 1988. The Writing of History. Translated by Tom Conley. New York: Columbia University Press.
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Eliminate the Racial Slur!1964. Christian Century81 (10 June): 757-758.
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Ely, Melvin Patrick. 1991. The Adventures of Amos 'n'Andy: ASocial History of an American Phenomenon. New York: Free Press.
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