For the past century African American cinema has primarily been an independent phenomenon. However, recent and consistent inclusion in the mainstream... film industry of Hollywood suggests a significant change in its status. Despite a tendency to posit the « genre as « other it is not a separate cinema. Contemporary African American cinema contextualizes its forms and themes within the American film tradition. With crossover success and critical acclaim, it became clear by 1991 that profit would be a motive for expansion, and that these films had established profound connections not only with Black audiences and agendas but within a diverse mainstream audience as well. Contemporary African American cinema continues to sustain itself while informing, mediating, challenging, and entertaining American audiences. « Sheril D. Antonio's excellent, comprehensive study discusses the key films that in various ways, from genre to aesthetics and politics, define 'the new black film wave' at its high moment of production. 'Contemporary African American Cinema' gets into the issues, drawing lucid connections between the African American 'bood-homeboy-action' flick and its ancestor, the American gangster film; sharply exploring intersections of gender, race, and representation in commercial cinema. From moviegoer to scholar, this book is a 'must read' for all wanting to understand, and enjoy, contemporary African American cinema. (Ed Guerrero, Associate Professor of Cinema Studies, Tisch School of the Arts, New York University)

L. Susan Bond reveals the full range and diversity of African American preaching in this exploration of African American homiletical theories.... Portraying the many approaches that are empowering preaching in African American churches today, Bond shows how different theological perspectives produce different methods of sermon preparation and delivery, different strategies for selecting illustrative material, and even different ways of beginning and ending sermons. Her goal is not to lift up the "right way" to preach in the African American tradition, but to show the richness and nuance contained within this powerful cultural expression.

The Black Arts Movement was sparked by the Civil Rights movement and the urge to produce and revitalize functional, realistic, and holistic symbols to... express African American creativity. When Larry Neal began his quest for a new dramatic form to epitomize African American self-determination he laid the foundation upon which his friends and compatriots-Amiri Baraka and Charles Fuller-would build. Expressing their individual protests through their writings, these artists soon united in their attack against Eurocentrism, which traditionally minimized or neglected the roles played by Africans and African Americans on the world stage. Their writings signaled a radical change in the form and content of African American writing, particularly drama.In this insightful examination of African American cultural history, the author explores the heart of the dramatic imagination of African Americans during the turbulent years of the Civil Rights and Black Power movements. The analysis of the works of these three important dramatists reveals the roots of an Afrocentric approach to the theater, and introduces a new methodology for exploring Afrocentrism that is particularly suited to classes in African American drama and literature.

Contemporary African Art Since 1980 is the first major survey of the work of contemporary African artists from diverse situations, locations, and... generations who work either in or outside of Africa, but whose practices engage and occupy the social and cultural complexities of the continent since the past 30 years. Its frame of analysis is absorbed with historical transitions: from the end of the postcolonial utopias of the sixties during the 1980s to the geopolitical, economic, technological, and cultural shifts incited by globalization. This book is both narrower in focus in the periods it reflects on, and specific in the ground it covers. It begins by addressing the tumultuous landscape of contemporary Africa, examining landmarks and narratives, exploring divergent systems of representation, and interrogating the ways artists have responded to change and have incorporated new aesthetic principles and artistic concepts, images and imaginaries to deal with such changes. Organized in chronological order, the book covers all major artistic mediums: painting, sculpture, photography, film, video, installation, drawing, collage. It also covers aesthetic forms and genres, from conceptual to formalist, abstract to figurative practices. Moving between discursive and theoretical registers, the principal questions the book analyzes are: what and when is contemporary African art? Who might be included in the framing of such a conceptual identity? It also addresses the question of globalization and contemporary African art.The book thus provides an occasion to examine through close reading and visual analysis how artistic concerns produce major themes. It periodizes and cross references artistic sensibilities in order to elicit multiple conceptual relationships, as well as breaks with prevailing binaries of center and periphery, vernacular and academic, urban and non-urban forms, indigenous and diasporic models of identification. In order to theorize how these concerns have been formulated in artistic terms and their creative consequences Contemporary African Art Since 1980 examines a range of ideas, concepts and issues that have shaped the work and practice of African artists within an international and global framework. It traces the shifts from earlier modernist strategies of the sixties and seventies after the period of decolonization, and the rise of pan-African nationalism, to the postcolonial representations of critique and satire that evolved from the 1980s, to the postmodernist irony of the 1990s, and to the globalist strategies of the 21st century.The main claim of this book is that contemporary African art can be best understood by examining the tension between the period of great political changes of the era of decolonization that enabled new and exciting imaginations of the future to be formulated, and the slow, skeptical, and social decline marked by the era of neo-liberalism and Structural Adjustment programs of the 1980s. These issues are addressed in chapters covering the themes of "Politics, Culture, Critique," "Memory and Archive," "Abstraction, Figuration and Subjectivity," and "The Body, Gender and Sexuality." In addition, the book employs sidebars to provide brief and incisive accounts of and commentaries on important contemporary political, economic and cultural events, and on exhibitions, biennales, workshops, artist groups and more. Rather than a comprehensive survey, this richly illustrated book presents examples of ambitious and important work by more than 160 African artists since the last 30 years. This list includes Georges Adeagbo Tayo Adenaike, Ghada Amer, El Anatsui, Kader Attia, Luis Basto, Candice Breitz, Moustapha Dime, Marlene Dumas, Victor Ekpuk, Samuel Fosso, Jak Katarikawe, William Kentridge, Rachid Koraichi, Mona Mazouk, Julie Mehretu, Nandipha Mntambo, Hassan Musa, Donald Odita, Iba Ndiaye, Richard Onyango, Ibrahim El Salahi, Issa Samb, Cheri Samba, Ousmane Sembene, Yinka Shonibare, Barthelemy Toguo, Obiora Udechukwu, and Sue Williamson.Okwui Enwezor, a leading curator and scholar of contemporary art, is the Dean of Academic Affairs at the San Francisco Art Institute, and founding publisher and editor of Nka: Journal of Contemporary African Art.Chika Okeke-Agulu is Assistant Professor of Art and Archeology and African American Studies at Princeton University, and editor of Nka: Journal of Contemporary African Art.

This critical history examines the major themes and accomplishments in African art since the middle of the 20th century, seeking to achieve a balance... between the critical re-examination of frequently-discussed artists, groups and workshops and the introduction of less-publicized or more recent material. Postcolonial art in Africa has built seamlessly upon already existing structures in which older, precolonial and colonial genres of African art were made. It is in this sense, and in the habits and attitudes of artists towards making art, rather than in the adherence to a particular style, medium, technique or thematic range, that the art is recognizably "African". Beginning in the early 1950s, the transformations in patronage, training and literacy brought about the birth of new genres which have been propelled onto a world stage.

African fashion is as diverse and dynamic as the continent and the people who live there. While experts have long recognized the importance of clothing... as a marker of ethnic identity, life stages, political affiliation, and social class, they have only just begun to discover African fashion. Contemporary African Fashion puts Africa at the intersection of world cultures and globalized identities, displaying the powerful creative force and impact of newly emerging styles. Richly illustrated with color photographs, this book showcases haute couture for the African continent. The visual impact of fashion created and worn today in Africa comes to life here, beautifully and brilliantly.

When President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the 1965 Voting Rights Act, he explained that it flowed from "a clear and simple wrong." But a generation later,... whites still remain resistant to the election of blacks to public office. That widespread resistance, Keith Reeves illustrates, can be explained in large part by election campaign appeals to whites' racial fears and sentiments. Based on empirical research examining white voters' attitudes towards black candidates and racial framing of campaign news coverage, Voting Hopes or Fears? explosively documents that racial discrimination against black candidates is contemporary, specific, and identifiable. Reeves concludes by outlining possible remedies such as modified at-large voting systems and by defending the practice of race-conscious legislative districting, now under attack by the Supreme Court. Marshaling startling evidence of voting discrimination against black candidates on account of race, and featuring a Foreword by The Honorable A. Leon Higginbotham Jr., Chief Justice Emeritus of the US Court of Appeals, Voting Hopes or Fears? will be mandatory reading for political and social scientists, scholars of racism and African-American Studies, civil rights litigators, journalists, black lawmakers and office-seekers, and general readers interested in the subject of race and politics in American society.

The first complete study of mainstream and nontraditional film since 1960 Indispensable to film students and general readers interested in this art... form, Contemporary American Cinema culls together the writings of the world's leading film scholars to provide the first comprehensive introduction to postclassical American film. Heavily illustrated with more than 50 color and black-and-white stills, it takes a close look at all aspects of the genre, including influential movies, directors, producers, and actors. This unique and accessible resource includes two Tables of Contents, allowing readers to research chronologically or thematically. In addition, it includes a glossary of important terms, suggestions for further reading, sample essay questions, and a filmography. Subjects include: Decline of the early studio system Rise of American new-wave cinema Parallel histories of independent and underground cinema Black cinema--from the "blaxploitation" era of the 1970s to the 1990s Full history of the American blockbuster Uses and effects of new film making technologies America's ever-changing audiences Key genres and industry statistics

Traces the development of the American federal system of government, focusing principally on the shifting balance of powers between the national... government and the states.

From Easy Rider to The Blair Witch Project, this book is a comprehensive examination of the independent film scene. Exploring the uneasy relationship... between independent films and the major studios, the contributors trace the changing ideas and definitions of independent cinema, and the diversity of independent film practices. They consider the ways in which indie films are marketed and distributed, and how new technologies such as video, cable and the internet, offered new opportunities for filmmakers to produce and market independent films. Turning to the work of key auteurs such as John Sayles and Haile Gerima, contributors ask whether independent filmmakers can also be stars, and consider how indie features like Boys Don't Cry and Shopping for Fangs address issues of gender, sexuality and ethnicity normally avoided by Hollywood. For all students of film studies and American studies, this cultural journey through independent film history will be an absolute must read.

This highly respected anthology presents the works of 70 poets who have shaped the contours and direction of mainstream American poetry from 1960 to the... present. Designed to provide a rich reading experience for both undergrad and graduate courses, more than 500 selections illustrate the variety and vitality of American poetry over the last few decades. For each poet, the collection features a generous sampling of their work along with a photo, biographical sketches, and bibliographies.

This highly respected anthology presents the work of 66 poets who have "shaped the contours and direction of the mainstream of American poetry" from... 1955 to the present. The alphabetically arranged collection provides a generous sampling of each poet with a photo, biographical sketches, and bibliographies.Editor Michael Waters continues the careful selection process as A. Poulin's literary executor. Dr. Waters is a prolific poet, whose works have appeared in the Antioch Review and the Yale Review. He has won two Pushcart Prizes and several fellowships, including one from the National Endowment for the Arts.