Description: It was in the tumultuous period between the two world wars that black Americans first began to embrace a modern African American identity. Throwing off the legacy of slavery and segregation, black intellectuals, activists, and organizations sought a prouder past in ancient Egypt and forged links to contemporary Africa.
Brief description: Clare Corbould is Associate Professor of North American History at Deakin University, Melbourne.
Review Quotes: Corbould's major achievement in Becoming African Americans is to connect the everyday lives of black men and women in Harlem, and the culture they built and lived, with broader political struggles, international as well as national and local...Becoming African Americans rests on thorough, indeed prodigious primary research. The book exploits an impressive array of published and archival sources, one of the platforms of Corbould's analysis is her astute reading of a wide array of cultural forms, from poetry and literature, through art and music, to the lively street life in which African Americans participated...Written with verve and confidence, Becoming African Americans is an admirable achievement. Corbould has added significantly to our understanding of African American life during the interwar period.--Chris Dixon "Australasian Journal of American Studies" (7/1/2009 12:00:00 AM)