Tag: history

+ african american art, african american literature, american history, civil rights, france, history, the stone face, william gardner smith

Rootlessness and Action in William Gardner Smith’s “The Stone Face”

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Over the past few posts, I have been looking at the tensions that Simeon feels in William Gardner Smith’s The Stone Face. Simeon leaves the United States for France, seeking refuge and escape from the racist oppression of white supremacy. He finds, as other African American expatriates do within the novel, the “illusion of safety.” This illusion provides a means of escape, a means … Read More Rootlessness and Action in William Gardner Smith’s “The Stone Face”

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+ Achille Mbembe, african american literature, algeria, france, the stone face, whiteness, william gardner smith

The Illusion of Safety in William Gardner Smith’s “The Stone Face”

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William Gardner Smith’s The Stone Face, as I have written about over the past few posts, revolves around the tension that Simeon feels about living in Paris as the Civil Rights Movement occurs back in the United States. Simeon’s conflict arose partly from Smith’s own experiences as an expatriate in France but also from the experiences of other African America expatriate writes in France … Read More The Illusion of Safety in William Gardner Smith’s “The Stone Face”

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

“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”

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+ african american literature, france, harlem renaissance, history, jessie fauset, Literature, race

Jessie Redmon Fauset’s “Comedy: American Style” and the Psychological Impact on Racism

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As I was constructing my syllabus for my upcoming “Black Expatriate Writers in France” syllabus, I wanted to make sure I had at least one text by an African American woman author. Since I as focusing on the South of France, specifically Provence (Avignon, Marseille, and Nice), I wanted texts that either took part, entirely, in the region or partly in the region. I … Read More Jessie Redmon Fauset’s “Comedy: American Style” and the Psychological Impact on Racism

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