Description
Book SynopsisRecounts the 'discovery' of black music by white elites in the nineteenth century, boldly revealing how the episode shaped modern approaches to studying racial and ethnic cultures. This book shows how the concept of 'cultural authenticity' is constantly redefined by critics for a variety of purposes.
Trade Review"Culture on the Margins brilliantly [unravels] ... a crucial strand in the history of how the white investment in the black came to organize not only culture and politics in the United States but also social science...This theoretically exigent and beautifully written account also turns on claims about the meaning and use of spirituals for the slaves. For the emergence and disappearance of the black subject is the hinge of the story Cruz has to tell."--Michael Rogin, American Journal of Sociology
Table of ContentsACKNOWLEDGMENTS ix Introduction 3 ONE The Conundrum of Authenticity 19 TWO Sound Barriers and Sound Management 43 THREE From Objects to Subjects 67 FOUR From Authentic Subjects to Authentic Culture 99 FIVE From Testimonies to Artifacts 124 SIX Institutionalizing Ethnosympathy 164 SEVEN Conclusion 189 EPILOGUE 200 NOTES 207 BIBLIOGRAPHY 259 SUBJECT INDEX 275 SONGS CITED INDEX 289
