Black People Are My Business: Toni Cade Bambara's Practices of Liberation

Black People Are My Business: Toni Cade Bambara's Practices of Liberation by Thabiti Lewis is a cultural biography that examines the liberation impulses in Bambara's writing, which is concerned with practices that advance the material value of the African American experience. It explores her unique nationalist, feminist, Marxist, and spiritualist ethos, which cleared space for many innovations found in black women's fiction. Lewis's study relies on Bambara's voice to craft a spiritual wholeness aesthetic that reveals her ability to interweave ethnic identity, politics, and community engagement and responsibility with the impetus of balancing black male and female identity influences and interactions within and outside the community. Bambara's work is important for its concentration on women as cultural workers and its challenge to the boundaries of black nationalism and feminism.

\n Format: Paperback / softback
\n Length: 252 pages
\n Publication date: 30 September 2020
\n Publisher: Wayne State University Press
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Black People Are My Business: Toni Cade Bambara's Practices of Liberation delves into the extensive body of work of Bambara (1939-1995), a multifaceted artist known for her roles as an author, documentary filmmaker, social activist, and professor. Thabiti Lewis' analysis takes the form of a cultural biography, exploring the liberation impulses present in Bambara's writing, which centers around practices aimed at enhancing the material value of the African American experience. It also delves into the introspection between artist production and social justice, making it the first monograph to specifically focus on Bambara's unique approach and significant literary contribution to African American literature during the 1970s and 1980s.

Within the framework of this study, Lewis employs Bambara's voice, derived from interviews and essays, to establish a spiritual wholeness aesthetic. This aesthetic is rooted in her practices of liberation and encompasses principles such as family, faith, feeling, and freedom. It reveals Bambara's remarkable ability to intertwine ethnic identity, politics, and community engagement with the dynamics of balancing black male and female identity influences and interactions within and outside the community.

One notable aspect of Bambara's work is her emphasis on women as cultural workers. Through her concept of spiritual wholeness, she challenges the traditional scholarly distinction between feminism and black nationalism, offering a fresh perspective on these movements. Bambara's fiction positions her as a pivotal voice within the Black Arts Movement and contemporary African American literature.

Despite her significant contributions, Bambara remains an understudied and important artistic voice whose aversion to playing it safe both embodied and challenged the boundaries of black nationalism and feminism. Her artistic journey reflects a commitment to exploring the complexities of identity and social justice, making her a valuable addition to the canon of African American literature.

\n Weight: 386g\n
Dimension: 152 x 229 x 21 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9780814344293\n \n