Black Culture and Black Consciousness: Afro-American Folk Thought from Slavery to Freedom

by Lawrence W. Levine

Overview

When Black Culture and Black Consciousness first appeared thirty years ago, it marked a revolution in our understanding of African American history. Contrary to prevailing ideas at the time, which held that African culture disappeared quickly under slavery and that black Americans had little group pride, history, or cohesiveness, Levine uncovered a cultural treasure trove, illuminating a rich and complex African American oral tradition, including songs, proverbs, jokes, folktales, and long narrative poems called toasts--work that dated from before and after emancipation. The fact that these ideas and sources seem so commonplace now is in large part due this book and the scholarship that followed in its wake. A landmark work that was part of the "cultural turn" in American history, Black Culture and Black Consciousness profoundly influenced an entire generation of historians and continues to be read and taught. For this anniversary reissue, Levine wrote a new preface reflecting on the writing of the book and its place within intellectual trends in African American and American cultural history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199885534
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	04/27/2007
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	757 KB

About the Author

The late Lawrence W. Levine was Margaret Byrne Professor of History Emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley, and Professor of History and Cultural Studies at George Mason University in Virginia. A former MacArthur fellow and a Past President of the Organization of American Historians, he was the author of a number of books, among them The Unpredictable Past: Explorations in American Cultural History, Highbrow/Lowbrow, and The People & the President: America's Extraordinary Conversation with FDR.

Table of Contents

Preface to 30th Anniversary EditionPreface1. The Sacred World of Black Slaves2. The Meaning of Slave Tales3. Freedom, Culture, and Religion4. The Rise of Secular Song5. Black Laughter6. A Pantheon of HeroesEpilogueNotes/Index

Editorial Reviews

"This is readable and makes students think about the past, present, and future. It's truly multicultural, multidisciplined, multidimensional, and relates to their daily lives and world."—Rosalyn Baxandall, State University of New York at Old Westbury

"Levine's study has filled a significant gap in scholarship on African-American thought. It will remain a masterpiece for scholars, students, and others who seek to connect with the African-American mind as expressed through the prism of folk sources."—Lewis V. Baldwin, Vanderbilt University

"An accessible yet sophisticated study of African-American culture that any student would appreciate."—Thelma Foote, New York Univ.

"Through an exhaustive investigation of black songs, folk tales, proverbs, aphorisms, verbal games and the long narrative oral poems known as 'toasts,' Levine argues that the value system of Afro-Americans can only be understood through an analysis of black culture....His work ranks among the best books written on the Afro-American experience in recent years."—Al-Tony Gilmore, The Washington Post

"One of the best books on Afro-American culture I've read....A major work, bound to have lasting influence."—Ishmael Reed, California Monthly

"The Afro-American historical experience looks very different after reading Levine's outstanding book."—Herbert G. Gutman

"Must be read by all who would understand the Afro-American experience and American culture in general."—Eugene D. Genovese, University of Rochester

"A prodigiously researched and beautifully written work....There is material aplenty here for teachers of survey courses not only to embellish lectures with but to carve out whole new approaches to the study of slavery and race in American history."—History Teacher

"The most impressive investigation of how African traditions informed the lives of slaves and, preserved in religious and secular music and folklore, has enabled blacks to maintain a remarkably independent though only partially separate existence."—Texas Journal

"A great book, a landmark book—a historian who understands folklore's significance and adds to its significance as a historical book."—Steve Siporin, Utah State University

From the Publisher