In a vibrant and passionate exploration of the twentieth-century
civil rights and black power eras in American history, Waldo Martin
uses cultural politics as a lens through which to understand the
African-American freedom struggle.
In black culture, argues Martin, we see the debate over the
profound tension at the core of black identity: the duality of
being at once both American and African. And in the transformative
postwar period, the intersection between culture and politics
became increasingly central to the African-American fight for
equality. In freedom songs, in the exuberance of an Aretha Franklin
concert, in Faith Ringgold's exploration of race and sexuality, the
personal and social became the political.
Martin explores the place of black culture in this vision and
examines the multiple ways in which various forms of expressive
culture and African-American cultural figures influenced
consciousness and helped effect social action. From the music of
John Coltrane and James Brown to the visual art of Jacob Lawrence
and Betye Saar to the dance movements of Alvin Ailey and Arthur
Mitchell, Martin discusses how, why, and with what consequences
culture became a critical battle site in the freedom struggle. And
in a fascinating epilogue, he draws the thread of black cultural
politics into today's hip-hop culture.
This engaging book brings a new perspective to the civil rights
and black power eras, while illuminating the broader history of
American and global freedom struggles.
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