How Mad Men is haunted by race

In this article, I argue that, despite arguments to the contrary, Mad Men (2007–) powerfully reflects the realities of a racialized America. From the very first episode, the characters, the actors and the script of Mad Men are haunted by race. First, the characters’ identities are called into being by the black figures who inhabit the edges of their consciousness. Second, the performances of the actors are haunted by a history of racialized representation. Third, the script of Mad Men is haunted by political events that manifest as psychic disturbance. This last form of haunting mirrors the audience’s own experiences with a history of race in America, and, in the end, it evokes a painful knowledge of a history of racial violence.