In this special episode of the Explaining History Podcast, recorded just days before the 2026 Academy Awards, we're joined by film and media historian Monica Sandler of Ball State University to explore what the Oscars tell us about American culture, power, and the film industry itself.

Monica brings her deep expertise to bear on these questions, tracing the Oscars back to their founding in 1929 as a deliberate attempt to reframe film as an art form—a response to the 1915 Mutual Decision that denied movies First Amendment protections and labeled the industry "plain and simple" commerce. From Will Hays's 1930 speech describing the awards as "an educator of public taste" to the New York Film Critics Circle's 1936 declaration that the Academy was "completely out of touch," the tension between industry insiders and cultural arbiters has been there from the start.

We dive into the economics of awards campaigning—how smaller films depend on Oscar success for profitability, while blockbusters don't need the validation—and the transformation of that process by Harvey Weinstein, who turned awards campaigning into a brutal, multi-million-dollar blood sport. The rules the Academy has had to create in response tell their own story.

The conversation also grapples with the Oscars' troubled relationship with race and representation. Monica discusses the 2016 #OscarsSoWhite movement, which forced the Academy to overhaul its membership—then 90% white, 75% male, with an average age of 65—and the complicated legacy of that change. We talk about the first person of colour ever nominated, Merle Oberon in 1936, who passed as British and whose racial identity was unknown to the public, a poignant illustration of the barriers that existed.

And we look forward: to the rise of streaming, the consolidation of media conglomerates, the threat of AI, and the question of whether the Oscars will remain relevant in a world where young people watch YouTube, not Hollywood. Monica argues that while broadcast ratings may decline, the social media visibility of awards moments—like Michael B. Jordan's recent SAG Awards win—shows that cultural impact is simply being measured differently.

**Topics covered:**

- The 1915 Mutual Decision and Hollywood's quest for artistic legitimacy

- Will Hays and the "education of public taste"

- The economics of awards campaigning

- Harvey Weinstein's transformation of the Oscar industrial complex

- #OscarsSoWhite and the Academy's membership overhaul

- Merle Oberon and the history of passing in Hollywood

- #MeToo and Harvey Weinstein's legacy

- The future of film in the age of streaming and AI

- Media consolidation and the concentration of power

*Monica Sandler is a film and media historian at Ball State University, currently completing her book manuscript, *The Oscar Industry*, based on her doctoral research at UCLA with unprecedented access to the Academy's internal archives. We'll have her back when the book is published.*

Additionally Monica has some excellent further reading recommendations:

Books

• Elizabeth Castaldo Lundén, Fashion on the Red Carpet: A History of the Oscars, Fashion and Globalisation (Edinburgh University Press, 2021)
• Frederick W. Gooding Jr.’s The Black Oscars: From Mammy to Minny, What the Academy Awards Tell Us about African Americans (Rowman & Littlefield, 2020)
• Bruce Davis, The Academy and the Award (Brandeis University Press, 2022)

• “The First Years of #OscarsSoWhite: Louise Beavers, Hattie McDaniel, and the History of Black Media Discourse at the Academy Awards, Cinephile
• PR and Politics at Hollywood’s Biggest Night: The Academy Awards and Unionization (1929-1939),” Media Industries Journal

Explaining History helps you understand the 20th Century through critical conversations and expert interviews. We connect the past to the present. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and share.

▸ Support the Show & Get Exclusive Content

Become a Patron: patreon.com/explaininghistory

▸ Join the Community & Continue the Conversation

Facebook Group: facebook.com/groups/ExplainingHistoryPodcast

Substack: theexplaininghistorypodcast.substack.com

▸ Read Articles & Go Deeper

Website: explaininghistory.org

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.