Evidence of Things Not Seen: Fantastical Blackness in Genre Fictions

Evidence of Things Not Seen explores blackness in genre literature of the Americas, highlighting its ethical praxis that centers black self-knowledge and refuses the limits of anti-blackness. It showcases the work of Barbara Neely, Colson Whitehead, Nalo Hopkinson, and Colin Channer, allowing a broad audience to reshape extra-literary realities through imaginative vocabularies.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 246 pages
Publication date: 30 August 2022
Publisher: Rutgers University Press

Evidence of Things Not Seen: Exploring Blackness in Genre Fictions Across the Americas

This interdisciplinary study delves into the enigmatic presence of blackness in genre literature across the Americas. The concept of "fantastical blackness" emerges from an unbridled imagination, defying attempts at erasure. It captivates because it transcends the boundaries of anti-blackness, refusing to be confined. As we employ this project, "fantastical blackness" becomes an ethical praxis, grounding black self-knowledge as a starting point rather than a response to dominant narratives that threaten or diminish it.

Mystery, romance, fantasy, mixed-genre, and science fiction, driven by unrestrained imaginations, vividly convey this quality of blackness. Through the works of Barbara Neely, Colson Whitehead, Nalo Hopkinson, and Colin Channer, these genres offer a profound exploration of blackness. When black writers center this expressive quality, they make fantastical blackness accessible to a broad audience, enabling them to reshape extra-literary realities through the limitless vocabulary of imagination.

Ultimately, popular genres unlock the potential to make the imagined real. Through their imaginative possibilities, they provide strategies for bringing forth new realities and expanding the boundaries of what is possible.

Dimension: 235 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781978818064