The Black Atlantic: Modernity and Double Consciousness

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"Whilst others scarcely put a toe in the water, in The Black Atlantic Gilroy goes in deep and returns with riches." —Guardian To the forces of cultural nationalism trapped in their respective camps, this bold book sounds like a liberating call. There is, Paul Gilroy tells us, a culture that is not specifically African, American, Caribbean, or British, but all of these at once; a black Atlantic culture whose themes and techniques transcend ethnicity and nationality to produce something new and, until now, unremarked. Challenging the practices and assumptions of cultural studies, The Black Atlantic also enriches our understanding of modernism. "Paul Gilroy is one of the most incisive thinkers of his generation... One can only hope that his voice travels far and wide." - Independent "In debates in recent years around questions of race, nation and culture, Paul Gilroy has stood out as an independent, unorthodox and (often for that very reason) exciting new voice. With his new book The Black Atlantic this voice continues to provoke and stimulate." - Times Higher Educational Supplement Paul Gilroy is Senior Lecturer in Sociology at Goldsmiths' College, University of London. He is the author of There Ain't No Black in the Union Jack: The Cultural Politics of Race and Nation. Cover Title Page Copyright Preface Epigraph 1. The Black Atlantic as a Counterculture of Modernity 2. Masters, Mistresses, Slaves, and the Antinomies of Modernity 3. "Jewels Brought From Bondage": Black Music and the Politics of Authenticity 4. "Cheer the Weary Traveller" : W.E.B. Du Bois, Germany, and the Politics of (Dis)placement 5. "Without the Consolation of Tears" : Richard Wright, France, and the Ambivalence of Community 6. "Not a Story to Pass On" : Living Memory and the Slave Sublime Notes Acknowledgements Index