Chaotic Justice

Rethinking African American Literary History

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, Black, American, Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Cultural Studies, African-American Studies
Cover of the book Chaotic Justice by John Ernest, The University of North Carolina Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: John Ernest ISBN: 9780807898505
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press Publication: November 15, 2009
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press Language: English
Author: John Ernest
ISBN: 9780807898505
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
Publication: November 15, 2009
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press
Language: English

What is African American about African American literature? Why identify it as a distinct tradition? John Ernest contends that too often scholars have relied on naive concepts of race, superficial conceptions of African American history, and the marginalization of important strains of black scholarship. With this book, he creates a new and just retelling of African American literary history that neither ignores nor transcends racial history.

Ernest revisits the work of nineteenth-century writers and activists such as Henry "Box" Brown, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Wilson, William Wells Brown, and Sojourner Truth, demonstrating that their concepts of justice were far more radical than those imagined by most white sympathizers. He sheds light on the process of reading, publishing, studying, and historicizing this work during the twentieth century. Looking ahead to the future of the field, Ernest offers new principles of justice that grant fragmented histories, partial recoveries, and still-unprinted texts the same value as canonized works. His proposal is both a historically informed critique of the field and an invigorating challenge to present and future scholars.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

What is African American about African American literature? Why identify it as a distinct tradition? John Ernest contends that too often scholars have relied on naive concepts of race, superficial conceptions of African American history, and the marginalization of important strains of black scholarship. With this book, he creates a new and just retelling of African American literary history that neither ignores nor transcends racial history.

Ernest revisits the work of nineteenth-century writers and activists such as Henry "Box" Brown, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Wilson, William Wells Brown, and Sojourner Truth, demonstrating that their concepts of justice were far more radical than those imagined by most white sympathizers. He sheds light on the process of reading, publishing, studying, and historicizing this work during the twentieth century. Looking ahead to the future of the field, Ernest offers new principles of justice that grant fragmented histories, partial recoveries, and still-unprinted texts the same value as canonized works. His proposal is both a historically informed critique of the field and an invigorating challenge to present and future scholars.

More books from The University of North Carolina Press

Cover of the book Writing to Cuba by John Ernest
Cover of the book Revolution within the Revolution by John Ernest
Cover of the book Roman Imperial Policy from Julian to Theodosius by John Ernest
Cover of the book Pickett’s Charge, July 3 and Beyond, Omnibus E-book by John Ernest
Cover of the book The 1812 Aponte Rebellion in Cuba and the Struggle against Atlantic Slavery by John Ernest
Cover of the book Sacred Interests by John Ernest
Cover of the book Backpacking North Carolina by John Ernest
Cover of the book Armistead and Garnett by John Ernest
Cover of the book Burdens of History by John Ernest
Cover of the book Unruly Women by John Ernest
Cover of the book Revolution in the Countryside by John Ernest
Cover of the book American Alchemy by John Ernest
Cover of the book Insuring National Health Care by John Ernest
Cover of the book Abiding Courage by John Ernest
Cover of the book Her Best Shot by John Ernest
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy