Literature and Race in the Democracy of Goods: Reading Contemporary Black and Asian North American Poetry

This book explores the role of literature in shaping contemporary understandings of race and capitalism in North America by examining the work of post-1960 Asian American, Asian Canadian, and Black experimental poets. It argues that these writers redefine race as a changing and politically contested form of constraint and possibility shaped by economic history and capitalist globalization.

Format: Hardback
Length: 232 pages
Publication date: 21 April 2022
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

This book delves into the examination of three distinct literary traditions: post-1960 Asian American, Asian Canadian, and Black experimental poetry. By doing so, it challenges prevailing scholarly accounts of post-war North American comparative racial group formation. Through the lens of these poetic works, the book explores contemporary Black-Asian relations and uncovers the intricate interplay between race and capitalism across various spatial scales.

Offering in-depth close readings of contemporary poets from these communities, including Myung Mi Kim, Erica Hunt, Larissa Lai, and Ed Roberson, the book argues that these writers redefine race as a fluid and politically charged construct, deeply influenced by economic history and capitalist globalization. This study not only reimagines our understanding of contemporary US poetry and poetics but also contributes to critical race and ethnic studies, racial capitalism, and contemporary theories of comparative and relational racialization.

By delving into the rich tapestry of these literary traditions, this book provides a fresh perspective on the complex dynamics of race and capitalism in the modern world, shedding light on the ways in which poetry can be a powerful tool for interrogating and reimagining these critical issues.

Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781350164000