Genevieve Fabre (NHC Fellow, 1996–97)

Fellowship Work Summary, 1996–97

Genevieve Fabre worked on her study of African-American ceremonial and celebrative culture in colonial and antebellum times. In particular, she focused on worship, dance, civic celebrations, festivals and jubilees, parades and marches around the time of Emancipation and began new investigations of death rituals, courtship and seasonal feasts, looking at how this festive culture was portrayed in illustrations, prints, woodcarvings, and paintings. Other writing projects included entries for the Encyclopedia of Slavery, an essay for a book on Jean Toomer and the Harlem Renaissance, and a paper for an international conference to be held in Lisbon in 1998.