Description: Framing the concept of transcendence, this study covers over a dozen traditional African American works in an original and thought-provoking analysis that places canonical approaches in enlightened discourse with Africana studies reader-response priorities.
Brief description: Molefi Kete Asante is Professor of Africology at Temple University, USA.
Review Quotes:
"In Transcendence and the Africana Literary Enterprise, Temple's critical approach models the freedom of vision and engagement that I seek when embracing an expansive African aestheticism and my best pedagogy. It is a major achievement." --Joanne V. Gabbin, James Madison University
"Temple centers Africology as a cultural lens. By doing so, she expands and reshapes literary criticism. In essence, this intervention into literary criticism can operate as a companion to existing and emerging African American anthologies. Transcendence is a paradigm shift that certainly incorporates previous works of literary criticism, but provides a new Afrocentric framework for learning and teaching Black culture.Her contribution repositions our notion of text and reader by connecting historical readings to contemporary literature. She traces a Black cultural evolution from 19th century novels, through contemporary fiction and theatre, to Afro-futurism and hip hop thereby offering a rich continuum of Black writing and creative impulses. Her choices for each chapter combine new approaches to well-known pieces and innovative assessments of lesser-known but critical texts.
Beyond taking a deconstructive stance, Temple focuses on Black freedom. Liberation permeates her prose, creating a fresh, constructive journey for her readers. Indeed, the entire text offers a 'critical benchmark, ' one of her goals clearly reached." --Stephanie Y. Evans, Clark Atlanta University "Transcendence and the Africana Literary Enterprise--where Black studies, Pan-African studies, and Africology meet Africana literary criticism and reader response criticism--is a brilliant coming together of theory and literary analysis that provides a new and much-needed approach to reading literary texts." --Georgene Bess Montgomery, Clark Atlanta University