“What You Want Me to Be”: Documenting Muhammad Ali, 1970 to the Present

Abstract

This article analyzes a selection of documentaries about the boxer and cultural and political icon, Muhammad Ali. I trace the evolution of dominant popular narratives about Ali, identify their underlying ideological positions, and argue for the role played by these films in the production and propagation of such narratives. I also explore how archival materials are incorporated into these films and how they can subvert or complicate the narratives they are intended to illustrate. I conclude by imagining a theoretical approach to studying Ali which is neither mobilized by nor confined to ideologically determined narratives, focusing instead on Ali’s acts of performance as represented in the archive.