The Cambridge Companion to Contemporary African American Literature

This book provides a systematic and vibrant account of the range and achievements of contemporary Black writers.

Yogita Goyal (Edited by)

9781009159715, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 21 December 2023

346 pages
23.5 x 15.5 x 2.5 cm, 0.619 kg

'This book is essential for keeping libraries current … Highly recommended.' L. L. Johnson, CHOICE

African American literature has changed in startling ways since the end of the Black Arts Era. The last five decades have generated new paradigms of racial formation and novel patterns of cultural production, circulation, and reception. This volume takes up the challenge of mapping the varied and changing field of contemporary African American writing. Balancing the demands of historical and political context with attention to aesthetic innovation, it considers the history, practice, and future directions of the field. Examining various historical forces shaping the creation of innovative genres, the turn to the afterlife of slavery, the pull toward protest, and the impact of new and expanded geographies and methods, this Companion provides an invaluable point of reference for readers seeking rigorous and cutting-edge analyses of contemporary African American literature.

Introduction Yogita Goyal
Part I. Histories of the Present: 1. African American Citizenship in the Post-Civil Rights Era Margo Crawford
2. The Politics of Class Rolland Murray
3. Rethinking Post-Racialism Aida Levy-Hussen
Part II. African American Genres: 4. Afro-Futurism and the Speculative Turn Madhu Dubey
5. The Black Lyric Anthony Reed
6. Neo-Slave Imaginaries Christopher Freeburg
7. Incarceration and Confinement Literature Patrick Elliott Alexander
8. Satire, Comedy, and Critique Derek Maus
9. Popular Romance and Literary Undergrounds Aneeka Henderson
Part III. Mapping New Identities and Geographies: 10. Feminist Intersections Sheri Marie Harrison
11. Queer Bodies in Time GerShun Avilez
12. Global and Diasporic Worldmaking Nadia Ellis
Part IV. Critical Approaches: 13. African American Soundscapes Shana Redmond
14. African American Literature and Visual Culture Hayley O'Malley
15. The Affective Turn Lauren Michele Jackson
16. Print Culture and Literary Sociology Kinohi Nishikawa
17. Digital and New Media Cultures of Protest Marisa Parham.

Subject Areas: Literary studies: general [DSB]