A Political Companion To James Baldwin (political Companions Gr Am Au)

Synopsis

Acclaimed Author And Social Critic James Baldwin (1924-1987) Maintained That All American Literature Is Intrinsically Bound To The Nation's Social History And That All American Writers Are Products Of Its Political System. In Seminal Works Such As Go Tell It On The Mountain, Notes Of A Native Son, And The Fire Next Time, He Expresses His Profound Belief That Writers Have The Power To Transform Society, To Engage The Public, And To Inspire And Channel Conversation To Achieve Lasting Change. While Baldwin Is Best Known For His Writings On Racial Consciousness And Injustice, He Is Also One Of The Country's Most Eloquent Theorists Of Democratic Life And The National Psyche. In A Political Companion To James Baldwin, A Group Of Prominent Scholars Assess The Prolific Author's Relevance To Present-day Political Challenges. Together, They Address Baldwin As A Democratic Theorist, Activist, And Citizen, Examining His Writings On The Civil Rights Movement, Religion, Homosexuality, And Women's Rights. They Investigate The Ways In Which His Work Speaks To And Galvanizes A Collective American Polity, And Explore His Views On The Political Implications Of Individual Experience In Relation To Race And Gender. This Volume Not Only Considers Baldwin's Works Within Their Own Historical Context, But Also Applies The Author's Insights To Recent Events Such As The Obama Presidency And The Black Lives Matter Movement, Emphasizing His Faith In The Connections Between The Past And Present. These Incisive Essays Will Encourage A New Reading Of Baldwin That Celebrates His Significant Contributions To Political And Democratic Theory.--back Cover. Introduction / Susan J. Mcwilliams -- Part I. Collective Consciousness And Community. A Most Disagreeable Mirror : Race Consciousness As Double Consciousness / Lawrie Balfour -- The Race Of A More Perfect Union : James Baldwin, Segregated Memory, And The Presidential Race / P.j. Brendese -- James Baldwin And The Politics Of Disconnection / Susan J. Mcwilliams -- What William F. Buckley Jr. Did Not Understand About James Baldwin : On Baldwin's Politics Of Freedom / Nicholas Buccola -- Part Ii. Prophecy, Religion, And Truth. Baldwin, Prophecy, And Politics / George Shulman -- The Negative Political Theology Of James Baldwin / Vincent Lloyd -- Go Tell It On The Mountain : James Baldwin And The Politics Of Faith / Wilson Carey Mcwilliams -- Part Iii. The Individual Life, The Interior Life, The Unexamined Life. Socrates In A Different Key : James Baldwin And Race In America / Joel Alden Schlosser -- Crossing Identitarian Lines : Women's Liberation And James Baldwin's Early Essays / Brian Norman -- Where The People Can Sing, The Poet Can Live : James Baldwin, Pragmatism, And Cosmopolitan Humanism / Ulf Schulenberg -- Baldwin's Individualism And Critique Of Property / Jack Turner -- Part Iv. Violence And Vision. James Baldwin On Violence And Disavowal / Lisa Beard -- James Baldwin And Black Lives Matter / Eddie S. Glaude Jr. -- Tell Him I'm Gone : On The Margins In High-tech City / Rachel Brahinsky. Edited By Susan J. Mcwilliams. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.