Stereotypical Representations of Black People in Modern Western Societies

Black people have long been portrayed in a variety of stereotypical ways in Western societies. Africans have variously been depicted as savages and brutes, apes, cannibals and helpless, childlike dependants.

Black people living in the West were routinely caricatured as slaves, servants or entertainers throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. By the mid- to late 20th century, racist images gradually became less acceptable, although some stereotypes still endure.