Special topics in African American literature.

This class focuses on a creative boom between 1919-1940 known as the Harlem Renaissance or the New Negro movement. It was a time when complex representations of African Americans started to infiltrate a popular culture previously dominated by racist stereotypes. During this period of intense American cultural nationalism, people from all walks of life were confronted with art that asked them to think in new ways about the meanings of race and social justice. During the Harlem Renaissance, the arts were widely seen as key tools in the fight for African American civil rights. But many artists rebelled against the expectation that political concerns should trump their aesthetic autonomy. Additionally, the idea of a unified New Negro consciousness was challenged by the increasing complexity of Black life. Differences in gender, sexuality, social class, region, and national origins and affiliations shaped the ways people lived, and the ways they thought about art and identity. In this seminar, we will read, view, think, write and talk about a diverse selection of Harlem Renaissance literature and visual art. In the process, we will identify key themes, controversies, and creative connections that characterized this unique era.

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