Illegible Will

Coercive Spectacles of Labor in South Africa and the Diaspora

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Cultural Studies, African-American Studies, Entertainment, Theatre, Performing Arts
Cover of the book Illegible Will by Hershini Bhana Young, Duke University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Hershini Bhana Young ISBN: 9780822373339
Publisher: Duke University Press Publication: March 2, 2017
Imprint: Duke University Press Books Language: English
Author: Hershini Bhana Young
ISBN: 9780822373339
Publisher: Duke University Press
Publication: March 2, 2017
Imprint: Duke University Press Books
Language: English

In Illegible Will Hershini Bhana Young engages with the archive of South African and black diasporic performance to examine the absence of black women's will from that archive. Young argues for that will's illegibility, given the paucity of materials outlining the agency of black historical subjects. Drawing on court documents, novels, photographs, historical records, websites, and descriptions of music and dance, Young shows how black will can be conjured through critical imaginings done in concert with historical research. She critically imagines the will of familiar subjects such as Sarah Baartman and that of obscure figures such as the eighteenth-century slave Tryntjie of Madagascar, who was executed in 1713 for attempting to poison her mistress. She also investigates the presence of will in contemporary expressive culture, such as the Miss Landmine Angola beauty pageant, placing it in the long genealogy of the freak show. In these capacious case studies Young situates South African performance within African diasporic circuits of meaning throughout Africa, North America, and South Asia, demonstrating how performative engagement with archival absence can locate that which was never recorded.

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

In Illegible Will Hershini Bhana Young engages with the archive of South African and black diasporic performance to examine the absence of black women's will from that archive. Young argues for that will's illegibility, given the paucity of materials outlining the agency of black historical subjects. Drawing on court documents, novels, photographs, historical records, websites, and descriptions of music and dance, Young shows how black will can be conjured through critical imaginings done in concert with historical research. She critically imagines the will of familiar subjects such as Sarah Baartman and that of obscure figures such as the eighteenth-century slave Tryntjie of Madagascar, who was executed in 1713 for attempting to poison her mistress. She also investigates the presence of will in contemporary expressive culture, such as the Miss Landmine Angola beauty pageant, placing it in the long genealogy of the freak show. In these capacious case studies Young situates South African performance within African diasporic circuits of meaning throughout Africa, North America, and South Asia, demonstrating how performative engagement with archival absence can locate that which was never recorded.

More books from Duke University Press

Cover of the book Porn Studies by Hershini Bhana Young
Cover of the book The Art of Being In-between by Hershini Bhana Young
Cover of the book Close Encounters of Empire by Hershini Bhana Young
Cover of the book Ontological Terror by Hershini Bhana Young
Cover of the book Birth of an Industry by Hershini Bhana Young
Cover of the book Indigenous Struggle at the Heart of Brazil by Hershini Bhana Young
Cover of the book Double Negative by Hershini Bhana Young
Cover of the book Fabricating Transnational Capitalism by Hershini Bhana Young
Cover of the book Medical Anthropology at the Intersections by Hershini Bhana Young
Cover of the book Being Governor by Hershini Bhana Young
Cover of the book Hydraulic City by Hershini Bhana Young
Cover of the book The Modernist Impulse in American Protestantism by Hershini Bhana Young
Cover of the book Fungible Life by Hershini Bhana Young
Cover of the book From the House to the Streets by Hershini Bhana Young
Cover of the book Averting the Apocalypse by Hershini Bhana Young
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