The nature of survey classes like ours is that there is never enough time or space to discuss everything. Maybe there never is enough time or space to discuss everything no matter what? I'll leave that philosophical question alone for now.
In any case, we've been following Alain Locke's lead in thinking about Harlem as a "race capital" for African Americans in the early twentienth century. What we haven't talked about--and what we won't, unfortunately, have too much time to talk about--is the phenomenon of slumming, that kind of cultural tourism in which white Americans patronized black clubs in Harlem to see the "exotic" behaviors in those clubs. (and here we can see Charlie oogling Josephine Baker--even though he probably saw her in France.) The Cotton Club was notorious for featuring African American performers, but denying entrance to black patrons, reserving seats only for whites.
Chad Heap, a professor in GW's American Studies department, has recently written about all of this. Add his book to your summer reading lists! It's already on mine.
The nature of survey classes like ours is that there is never enough time or space to discuss everything. Maybe there never is enough time or space to discuss everything no matter what? I'll leave that philosophical question alone for now.
ReplyDeleteIn any case, we've been following Alain Locke's lead in thinking about Harlem as a "race capital" for African Americans in the early twentienth century. What we haven't talked about--and what we won't, unfortunately, have too much time to talk about--is the phenomenon of slumming, that kind of cultural tourism in which white Americans patronized black clubs in Harlem to see the "exotic" behaviors in those clubs. (and here we can see Charlie oogling Josephine Baker--even though he probably saw her in France.) The Cotton Club was notorious for featuring African American performers, but denying entrance to black patrons, reserving seats only for whites.
Chad Heap, a professor in GW's American Studies department, has recently written about all of this. Add his book to your summer reading lists! It's already on mine.