Signifyin(G), Sanctifyin', & Slam Dunking: A Reader in African American Expressive Culture

By Gena Caponi

Observers of American society have long noted the distinctive contribution of African Americans to the nation's cultural life. We find references to African American music and dance, black forms of oral expression, even a black style of playing basketball. But what do such terms really mean? Is it legitimate to talk about a distinct African American aesthetic, or is it simply a vestige of an outmoded racial essentialism? What makes a particular form of cultural expression black, other than the fact that some African Americans may practice it?

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1558491821
• ISBN13: 9781558491823
• Release Date: January 1884
• Publisher: Univ of Massachusetts Pr
• Length: 464 Pages
• Weight: 1.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.8" x 1.5" x 6.5"