Narrative Power in the Black Radical Tradition

Catalog description

For over 250 years, against all odds and in the face of extreme genocidal violence, Black people in the United States have persevered and "have countered vicious dehumanization with determined and successful re-humanization." Central to the struggle for Black liberation is the use of symbolic resources. Such resources include "words, signs, images, music and even bodies [which] shape our perceptions of reality and invite us to act accordingly." From the abolitionist movement to end slavery to the Civil Rights Movement of the mid-20th century to today's Movement for Black Lives, Black organizers, activists, and allies use symbolic resources to resist and inspire a new vision of society. By taking advantage of political opportunities and disrupting hegemonic thinking, Black insurgent social movements expand collective perceptions of what is socially, economically, and politically possible. The hashtag #BlackLivesMatter is a symbolic resource, as was Emmitt Till's open casket, both exposing that which is often concealed—the ghoulish manifestations of white supremacy. Social movements use these symbolic resources to reveal patterns, cultivate compassion, recruit members, inspire collective action, and build public will for sweeping social changes. In this course, we will explore the role of narrative power and rhetoric in the Black Radical Tradition, what political theorists Cedric Robinson describes as the collection of cultural, intellectual, action-oriented labor aimed at disrupting social, political, economic, and cultural norms originating in anti-colonial and antislavery efforts. This tradition is not only one of resistance against oppressive forces but also of joy, embodiment, and love. Through readings, podcasts, special guests, and discussions, we will explore how Black movement workers have used narrative, story, and other symbolic resources to build narrative…