Womanism, Literature, and the Transformation of the Black Community, 1965-1980
Studies in African American History and Culture Series

This book examines how cultural and ideological reactions to activism in the post-Civil Rights Black community were depicted in fiction written by Black women writers, 1965?1980. By recognizing and often challenging prevailing cultural paradigms within the post-Civil Rights era, writers such as Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, Toni Cade Bambara, and Paule Marshall fictionalized the black community in critical ways that called for further examination of progressive activism after the much publicized 'end' of the Civil Rights Movement. Through their writings, the authors? confronted marked shifts within African American literature, politics and culture that proved detrimental to the collective 'wellness' of the community at large.

Preface: 'Lifewriting' 1. 'Let Me Know When You Get Through': The Afro-Politico Womanist Agenda 2. Look Before You Leap: Reading Black Nationalist Rhetoric and Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon 3. 'Tomorrow the People Would Come': The Crisis of the Black Middle Class in Alice Walker’s Meridian 4. 'Ain’t No Such Animal as an Instant Guerilla': Composing Self and Community in Toni Cade Bambara’s The Salt Eaters 5. 'Something That’s Been Up Has to Come Down': Global Black Consciousness in Paule Marshall’s The Chosen Place, The Timeless People. Conclusion