Description
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Brilliant scholar and literary critic, Koritha Mitchell, shows us just how radical the act of successful homemaking was for Black women in the face of the violence it elicited from white people. Analyzing canonical Black women's texts, she shows us just how committed, loving, and defiant Black women have been in creating home in the world and in literature." ―Michael Eric Dyson,
New York Times Bestselling author of
What the Truth Sounds Like"This project on homemade citizenship will reframe the conversation around anti-blackness by mapping how black women intellectuals, activists and artists continually respond–and with great success–to attacks and infringements upon their collective creative efforts. This work is a needed subtlety, as it approaches categories like 'achievement' and 'success' from the fabric of black cultural production, rather than the font of white supremacy’s violent response to black existence.
From Slave Cabins to the White House encourages us to ask new questions, one of which is certainly how did we/do we make a home and sustain it creatively in the midst of ongoing hostilities?"--Sharon Patricia Holland, author of
The Erotic Life of Racism"This deeply researched, thoughtful volume made me think in new ways about how Black women have navigated, redefined and articulated concepts of home, domesticity, family, place and citizenship in American culture and politics; it is also a true pleasure to read."--Rebecca Traister,
New York Times bestselling author of
All the Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation"An essential, scholarly volume for academic and larger public library collections devoted to the literary traditions and history of African American women throughout U.S. history." * Library Journal *
"Mitchell sheds light on Black homemaking in the midst of anti-Blackness and oppression." * Ms. *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction: House Slaves, Housekeepers, Homemakers Chapter 1. A Home of One’s Own Chapter 2. No, Really: A Home of One’s Own Chapter 3. New Negroes, New Homes Chapter 4. Home as Human Right and Black Power Chapter 5. Still the Master’s House? Chapter 6. The Ultimate Home: Michelle Obama in the White House Coda: From Mom-in-Chief to Predator-in-Chief Notes Works Cited Index
