The Art and Politics of
the Harlem Renaissance

Tuesday, February 8, 2011
7:00 p.m.–8:30 p.m. (EST)

Leader

Kenneth R. Janken

Professor of African and Afro-American Studies
Director of the Office of Experiential Education
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
National Humanities Center Fellow

About the Seminar

The Harlem Renaissance, or New Negro Movement, is known chiefly for its achievements in literature and the visual arts, not for its political aspirations. Yet its creators sought highly political goals. Militant and race conscious, they believed that the movement could open up American society to a revaluation of African Americans and acceptance of them as equals.

In what ways are the literature and art of the Harlem Renaissance political? How should we read them as political texts? To what extent can we say that the Harlem Renaissance was part of the civil rights movement?

Enter Moodle Forum

Assigned Readings

1. Selections from The Portable Harlem Renaissance Reader (PDF)
2. Images of the Harlem Renaissance (PDF)
3. Walter White, “Chicago and Its Eight Reasons”
4. A. Phillip Randolph and Chandler Owen, “The New Negro—What Is He?” (PDF)

Supplemental Readings

1. From Freedom’s Story, “The New Negro and the Black Image: From Booker T. Washington to Alain Locke.”
2. From The Making of African American Identity: Vol. III
   • Protest Writing
   • Protest Poetry

Presentation

Online Evaluation

Seminar Recording

Streaming Recording

Download Recording (You will need to install the WebEx ARF player, available at download, to play back the recording.)