Maroon Choreography

Maroon Choreography by fahima ife explores the long (im)material, ecological, and aesthetic afterlives of black fugitivity through three long-form poems and a lyrical essay, challenging historical knowledge and interrogating writing as a fugitive practice.

Format: Hardback
Length: 144 pages
Publication date: 27 August 2021
Publisher: Duke University Press

Maroon Choreography is a groundbreaking work by fahima ife that delves into the profound and multifaceted dimensions of black fugitivity. Through a combination of three long-form poems and a lyrical essay, ife explores black fugitivity as an ongoing phenomenon that remains largely unknown beyond the confines of historical narratives. As a poet and scholar, ife challenges the established understanding of black fugitivity and upends our perceptions of historical knowledge. By immersing themselves in the ongoing afterlives of those individuals who sought refuge in rural spaces beyond the reach of slavery, ife unsettles our sense of history and fosters a deeper understanding of the enduring legacies of black displacement.

Furthermore, ife interrogates the role of writing as a fugitive practice and a means of escape from the ongoing constraints of containment, indebtedness, surveillance, and ecological ruin. Through their philosophical performance in black studies, ife prompts us to reflect on how we, as scholars, refuse, are late to the conversation, are habitually assembled, and persist alongside the unknown.

Maroon Choreography is a testament to ife's exceptional talent and intellectual prowess, earning them the prestigious Duke University Press Scholars of Color First Book Award. This work not only contributes to our understanding of black history and culture but also challenges us to think critically about the ongoing struggles and complexities of fugitivity and displacement.

Weight: 386g
Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781478013341