BROWNFACE:

The offensive practice of a white/non-South Asian actor darkening their skin with makeup, and wearing clothing to appear South Asian in an attempt to portray racist stereotypes. The use of brown-voice often accompanies instances of brownface performance and it is most often used to mock people of South Asian descent and reduce them to stereotyped caricatures. For more, see Dave, Kharod.

Sources and Further Reading:

“‘Brownface’ Theatre Performance Irks South Asian Critics.” CTV News, 14 Mar. 2015, www.ctvnews.ca/canada/brownface-theatre-performance-irks-south-asian-critics-1.2279879.

Dave, Shilpa S. Indian Accents: Brown Voice and Racial Performance in American Television and Film, University of Illinois Press, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/york/detail.action?docID=3414229.

Kharod, Aditi. “The Writing on the Wall: The Use of Brownface in Theatre.” The Theatrical Board, 11 Sep. 2018, www.thetheatricalboard.com/editorials/guestbrownface.