Category: african americans

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+ african american art, african american literature, african americans, france, race, william gardner smith

“Come die with me!”: Whiteness in William Gardner Smith’s “The Stone Face”

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Last post, I started looking at William Gardner Smith’s The Stone Face, a novel that, as Adam Shatz points out, presents whiteness not as a racial trait but as “a synonym for situational privilege.” Today, I want to continue that discussion by looking at Simeon’s dream sequence after he speaks with the Algerians at the cafe who call him “white.” This sequence takes place … Read More “Come die with me!”: Whiteness in William Gardner Smith’s “The Stone Face”

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+ african american art, african american literature, african americans, colonization, france, race, william gardner smith

“How does it feel to be a white man?” William Gardner Smith’s “The Stone Face”

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Working on my syllabus for my upcoming “Black Expatriate Writers in France” class, I came across William Gardner Smith’s The Stone Face (1963), and even though the course focuses on Southern France (Marseille and Nice), I decided to include Smith’s novel, which is set in Paris, because of its depiction of French colonial racism against Algerians and itd depiction of the Paris Massacre of … Read More “How does it feel to be a white man?” William Gardner Smith’s “The Stone Face”

+ african american art, african american literature, african americans, france, marseille, Pedagogy, study travel

The Pan-Mediterranean Marseille

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We’re fully immersed in the “Black Expatriate Writers in France” course in the South of France. As I prepared for this course, I read all of the texts I’m teaching , and I also started to dive into other texts in preparation for the trip. Specifically, I reread Alexandre Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo, and I finally read, even though it takes place … Read More The Pan-Mediterranean Marseille

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+ african american art, african american literature, african americans, claude mckay, france, james baldwin, Pedagogy, syllabus, william gardner smith

Why Did I Want to Teach a Black Expatriate Writers Study Travel Course in France?

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I’m not sure when I started thinking about leading a study travel trip to France; I only know that I really started thinking about when I was on the job market following my graduation in 2014. In some of my cover letters, if I discussed study travel trips, I would always mention my desire construct a course on African American expatriate writers in France. … Read More Why Did I Want to Teach a Black Expatriate Writers Study Travel Course in France?

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+ african american literature, african americans, blues for mister charlie, drama, emmett till, james baldwin, meridian henry, richard henry

Poison in James Baldwin’s “Blues for Mister Charlie”

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If you enjoy what you read here at Interminable Rambling, think about making a contribution on our Patreon page.  This semester, I’m teaching James Baldwin’s Blues for Mister Charlie (1964). As I reread Baldwin’s play, a couple of items stuck out to me. The first item that caught my attention was the continual references to poison or disease throughout the text, in relation to … Read More Poison in James Baldwin’s “Blues for Mister Charlie”

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