Black on Black. Twentieth Century African American Writing about Africa.

Black on Black. Twentieth Century African American Writing about Africa. By John Cullen Gruesser. Published by University Press of Kentucky. 2000. ISBN 0813121639. New 9 x 6 inches cloth hardcover with new dustjacket - no flaws. 205 Pages. Illustrated. Notes. Works Cited. Index. COMMENTS: John Gruesser uses the concept of Ethiopianismthe biblically inspired belief that black Americans would someday lead Africans and people of the diaspora to a bright futureto provide a framework for his study. Originating in the eighteenth century and inspiring religious and political movements throughout the 1800s, Ethiopianism dominated African American depictions of Africa in the first two decades of the twentieth century, particularly in the writings of Du Bois, Sutton Griggs, and Pauline Hopkins. Beginning with the Harlem Renaissance and continuing through the Italian invasion and occupation of Ethiopia, however, its influence on the portrayal of the continent slowly diminished. Ethiopianism's decline can first be seen in the work of writers closely associated with the New Negro Movement, including Alain Locke and Langston Hughes, and continued in the dramatic work of Shirley Graham, the novels of George Schuyler, and the poetry and prose of Melvin Tolson. The final rejection of Ethiopianism came after the dawning of the Cold War and roughly coincided with the advent of postcolonial Africa in works by authors such as Richard Wright, Lorraine Hansberry, and Alice Walker. ----- $3.99 Shipping within the USA. ----- [inv.laf.35] ---- No International Sales.