Disturbance and Celebration of Josephine Baker in Copenhagen 1928: Emotional Constructions of Whiteness

Marlene Spanger analyses reactions to the internationally recognised dancer and singer Josephine Baker (1906–1975), whose performances in Copenhagen gave rise to a heated emotional debate in Danish newspapers; these reactions mirror contemporary dominant religious, biological and colonial discourses. Drawing upon Sarah Ahmed’s (2004, 2006) approach to affect, the article analyses the way in which Baker’s performance produced harm and fear, but also desire and celebration involving gender and sexuality in the Danish society. The body of Josephine Baker was both celebrated by the Danish culture avant garde community and perceived as a threat to the ideal feminine form by the church. This contribution analyses how affective reactions are produced through complex formations of race, gender and sexuality, and enables us to acquire a nuanced understanding of whiteness in a Danish context.