Print and Protest in Early Black America - Detailseite

This course reads 18th- and 19th-century African American literature through the lens of print culture, a field of study that deals with the social effects of producing, circulating, reading, and otherwise using printed texts. Our objects of inquiry will include personal narratives, novels, poems, posters, and newspapers, as well as their typography, illustrations, reviews, and circulation routes. By situating texts within historical media landscapes, we’ll investigate how early Black American authors navigated complex audiences and cultural practices of print production and consumption. Our readings will frame questions about identity, gender, race, authorship, the literary marketplace, and the print history of community organizing.