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Shifting in time between the years preceding the Civil War and the years immediately following it. "Beloved" is the story of how an escaped slave tries to overcome the tragic death of her daughter. Morrison's lyrical narrative weaves together the supernatural and the tangible, and the result is a dazzling achievement and a spellbinding reading experience.

Shifting in time between the years preceding the Civil War and the years immediately following it. "Beloved" is the story of how an escaped slave tries to overcome the tragic death of her daughter. Morrison's lyrical narrative weaves together the supernatural and the tangible, and the result is a dazzling achievement and a spellbinding reading experience.

Summary: In this book, one of the world's leading scholars on the history of religion in Africa shows how Christianity has been transformed as it has been adopted by black Africans, from the introduction of Christianity in the seventeenth century to the present. Richard Gray finds that Africans have not meekly accepted monolithic Western practices and interpretations but have appropriated Christian faith for specific needs and added to it insights of their own

Summary: In this book, one of the world's leading scholars on the history of religion in Africa shows how Christianity has been transformed as it has been adopted by black Africans, from the introduction of Christianity in the seventeenth century to the present. Richard Gray finds that Africans have not meekly accepted monolithic Western practices and interpretations but have appropriated Christian faith for specific needs and added to it insights of their own

A headdress carved from wood and decorated with animal hair, bamboo, iron, and pigment.

A headdress carved from wood and decorated with animal hair, bamboo, iron, and pigment.

This is a type of headcrest mask found amongst the southern Ika, a western Igbo peoples residing on the left bank of the Niger River (Kwale region) and Isoko peoples residing further to the south. G.I. Jones photographed such masks in the 1930s. In performance they are embellished with feathers inserted into holes along the back of the figure and across the feline figure at the top of the mask. Jones documented their performance in the Ogonya Play in Ogume village, southern Ika.

This is a type of headcrest mask found amongst the southern Ika, a western Igbo peoples residing on the left bank of the Niger River (Kwale region) and Isoko peoples residing further to the south. G.I. Jones photographed such masks in the 1930s. In performance they are embellished with feathers inserted into holes along the back of the figure and across the feline figure at the top of the mask. Jones documented their performance in the Ogonya Play in Ogume village, southern Ika.

A mask made of wood, fiber, and pigment, portraying Mma ji.

A mask made of wood, fiber, and pigment, portraying Mma ji.

Igbo masks are made in many styles, and their distribution does not necessarily coincide with a matching set of beliefs concerning mask spirits. For example, the Okorosia masquerades of south-central Igboland share overall style features with the northern Igbo masks of the Nri-Awka area, such as the white-faced "Maiden-Spirit Mask" Agbogho mmuo but the belief in Okorosia water spirits is borrowed from the Niger Delta to the south where water spirits abound.

Igbo masks are made in many styles, and their distribution does not necessarily coincide with a matching set of beliefs concerning mask spirits. For example, the Okorosia masquerades of south-central Igboland share overall style features with the northern Igbo masks of the Nri-Awka area, such as the white-faced "Maiden-Spirit Mask" Agbogho mmuo but the belief in Okorosia water spirits is borrowed from the Niger Delta to the south where water spirits abound.

Masks from the Cameroon Grassfields were owned by either the men's regulatory society (Kwifoyn) that shared power with the king (Fon), or by lineage groups authorized by the Kwifoyn to perform. Although all masked dancers in the Grassfields are male, they may represent either male or female characters. This mask represents Ngoin, the royal wife and a symbol of womanhood. The mask can be identified by the royal headdress that has an almond or oval-shaped protruberance at the top and a wavy or zigzag hairline. Ngoin dances with short, restrained steps to mark her royal presence.

Masks from the Cameroon Grassfields were owned by either the men's regulatory society (Kwifoyn) that shared power with the king (Fon), or by lineage groups authorized by the Kwifoyn to perform. Although all masked dancers in the Grassfields are male, they may represent either male or female characters. This mask represents Ngoin, the royal wife and a symbol of womanhood. The mask can be identified by the royal headdress that has an almond or oval-shaped protruberance at the top and a wavy or zigzag hairline. Ngoin dances with short, restrained steps to mark her royal presence.

A collage of portraits of "The Original Georgia Minstrels". Each portrait is numbered and their names listed: 1) C. B. Hicks, 2) C. Crusoe, 3) H. Easton, 4) S. Keenan, 5) J. Mills, 6) J. Morton, 7) J. Matlock, 8) W. Sanders, 9) C. (G.) Harris, 10) J. Thomas, 11) A. Jackson, 12) W. Wilson, 13) D. Bowman, and 14) Brown.

A collage of portraits of "The Original Georgia Minstrels". Each portrait is numbered and their names listed: 1) C. B. Hicks, 2) C. Crusoe, 3) H. Easton, 4) S. Keenan, 5) J. Mills, 6) J. Morton, 7) J. Matlock, 8) W. Sanders, 9) C. (G.) Harris, 10) J. Thomas, 11) A. Jackson, 12) W. Wilson, 13) D. Bowman, and 14) Brown.

A headdress carved from wood and decorated with pigment.

A headdress carved from wood and decorated with pigment.

This mask, called Sowo (pl. Sowei) or Bondo, is a type commissioned and worn by female members of the Gola, Temne, and Mende Sande societies in Sierra Leone and Liberia. The Sande society is responsible for the instruction of young girls into adulthood. This process occurs in the forest under the guidance of senior Sande members and Sowo or Bondo nature spirits. Once they have learned basic female values and trained for marriage, domestic life, and religious, economic, and political pursuits, the girls are integrated back into the village as women.

This mask, called Sowo (pl. Sowei) or Bondo, is a type commissioned and worn by female members of the Gola, Temne, and Mende Sande societies in Sierra Leone and Liberia. The Sande society is responsible for the instruction of young girls into adulthood. This process occurs in the forest under the guidance of senior Sande members and Sowo or Bondo nature spirits. Once they have learned basic female values and trained for marriage, domestic life, and religious, economic, and political pursuits, the girls are integrated back into the village as women.

Third album of gospel music by Mother Willie Mae Ford Smith.

Third album of gospel music by Mother Willie Mae Ford Smith.

The Dogon migrated to present-day Mali beginning in the fifteenth century, settling along the Bandiagara escarpment. The harsh, remote terrain of central Mali protected the Dogon and shaped their culture. The Kanaga mask honors the dead and connects them to the living, in much the same way as the long cliff on which they live connects the earth and sky, and the vertical strip of the mask connects the two horizontal bands.

The Dogon migrated to present-day Mali beginning in the fifteenth century, settling along the Bandiagara escarpment. The harsh, remote terrain of central Mali protected the Dogon and shaped their culture. The Kanaga mask honors the dead and connects them to the living, in much the same way as the long cliff on which they live connects the earth and sky, and the vertical strip of the mask connects the two horizontal bands.

A poster reproduction of a painting by David Teniers the Younger depicting the temptation of the desert father St. Anthony by demons.

A poster reproduction of a painting by David Teniers the Younger depicting the temptation of the desert father St. Anthony by demons.

Summary: Aime Cesaire has been described by the Times Literary Supplement as likely to "figure alongside the Eliot-Pound-Yeats triumvirate that has dominated official poetic culture for more than fifty years." He was a cofounder and exponent of the concept of negritude and is a major spiritual, political, and literary figure.Cesaire has been read politically as a poet of revolutionary zeal since the 1960s.

Summary: Aime Cesaire has been described by the Times Literary Supplement as likely to "figure alongside the Eliot-Pound-Yeats triumvirate that has dominated official poetic culture for more than fifty years." He was a cofounder and exponent of the concept of negritude and is a major spiritual, political, and literary figure.Cesaire has been read politically as a poet of revolutionary zeal since the 1960s.

Dlan, Médellus, Silacier : un peuple en trois personnes, le "petit peuple" antillais de qui la "gentillesse", la malice et la philosophie désabusée pourraient prêter ailleurs à d'aimables tableaux folkloriques.Mais on ne s'y trompera pas. La trame de l'histoire n'est rien de moins que la difficile recherche d'une vérité : à propos d'un tueur à gages (antillais) et pour venger peut-être sa victime (antillaise).

Dlan, Médellus, Silacier : un peuple en trois personnes, le "petit peuple" antillais de qui la "gentillesse", la malice et la philosophie désabusée pourraient prêter ailleurs à d'aimables tableaux folkloriques.Mais on ne s'y trompera pas. La trame de l'histoire n'est rien de moins que la difficile recherche d'une vérité : à propos d'un tueur à gages (antillais) et pour venger peut-être sa victime (antillaise).

Through bold color and aggressive imagery, predatory animal references, horns, and strange tubular eyes this mask is a visually intimidating presence that harnesses the power of spirits from the wilderness as instruments of proprietary control in the realm of the town or village. Their visual affect was only heightened during performance. This Wé mask presents a bewildering accumulation of animal references: a fringe of aluminum-silver pseudo-leopard teeth, wild boar tusks, and pointed ears.

Through bold color and aggressive imagery, predatory animal references, horns, and strange tubular eyes this mask is a visually intimidating presence that harnesses the power of spirits from the wilderness as instruments of proprietary control in the realm of the town or village. Their visual affect was only heightened during performance. This Wé mask presents a bewildering accumulation of animal references: a fringe of aluminum-silver pseudo-leopard teeth, wild boar tusks, and pointed ears.

Small delicately carved face masks with pert noses and childlike facial features representing male and female spirits (elu) appear in village masquerades among Ogoni peoples living between the Niger Delta and Cross Rivers of southern Nigeria. Many of these face masks are cut across the mouth allowing the wearer to articulate the jaw as the spirit speaks through him. The open mouth reveals narrow teeth, usually made of cane.

Small delicately carved face masks with pert noses and childlike facial features representing male and female spirits (elu) appear in village masquerades among Ogoni peoples living between the Niger Delta and Cross Rivers of southern Nigeria. Many of these face masks are cut across the mouth allowing the wearer to articulate the jaw as the spirit speaks through him. The open mouth reveals narrow teeth, usually made of cane.

Baker perceives the Harlem Renaissance as a crucial moment in a movement, predating the 1920's, when Afro-Americans embraced the task of self-determination and in so doing gave forth a distinctive form of expression that still echoes in a broad spectrum of 20th-century Afro-American arts.

Baker perceives the Harlem Renaissance as a crucial moment in a movement, predating the 1920's, when Afro-Americans embraced the task of self-determination and in so doing gave forth a distinctive form of expression that still echoes in a broad spectrum of 20th-century Afro-American arts.

In this 1939 novel based on the familiar story of the Exodus, Zora Neale Hurston blends the Moses of the Old Testament with the Moses of black folklore and song to create a compelling allegory of power, redemption, and faith. Narrated in a mixture of biblical rhetoric, black dialect, and colloquial English, Hurston traces Moses's life from the day he is launched into the Nile river in a reed basket, to his development as a great magician, to his transformation into the heroic rebel leader, the Great Emancipator.

In this 1939 novel based on the familiar story of the Exodus, Zora Neale Hurston blends the Moses of the Old Testament with the Moses of black folklore and song to create a compelling allegory of power, redemption, and faith. Narrated in a mixture of biblical rhetoric, black dialect, and colloquial English, Hurston traces Moses's life from the day he is launched into the Nile river in a reed basket, to his development as a great magician, to his transformation into the heroic rebel leader, the Great Emancipator.

One of three crosses making different zones across a two-acre field at the Saint Paul Spiritual Holy Temple in Memphis, Tennessee.

One of three crosses making different zones across a two-acre field at the Saint Paul Spiritual Holy Temple in Memphis, Tennessee.

Summary: Performing Blackness offers a challenging interpretation of black cultural expression since the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s. Exploring drama, music, poetry, sermons, and criticism, Benston offers an exciting meditation on modern black performance's role in realising African-American aspirations for autonomy and authority. Artists covered include: John Coltrane, Ntozake Shange, Ed Bullins, Amiri Baraka, Adrienne Kennedy, and Michael Harper.

Summary: Performing Blackness offers a challenging interpretation of black cultural expression since the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s. Exploring drama, music, poetry, sermons, and criticism, Benston offers an exciting meditation on modern black performance's role in realising African-American aspirations for autonomy and authority. Artists covered include: John Coltrane, Ntozake Shange, Ed Bullins, Amiri Baraka, Adrienne Kennedy, and Michael Harper.

Summary: A metrical Latin version of a traditional didactic Christian text in the form of a bestiary.

Summary: A metrical Latin version of a traditional didactic Christian text in the form of a bestiary.

In Playing the Changes, Craig Hansen Werner presents a polyrhythmic approach to the continuities and discontinuities of the American literary tradition. He focuses on the relationship between two superficially distinct traditions: European (post)modernism and African American culture in both literary and musical forms.

In Playing the Changes, Craig Hansen Werner presents a polyrhythmic approach to the continuities and discontinuities of the American literary tradition. He focuses on the relationship between two superficially distinct traditions: European (post)modernism and African American culture in both literary and musical forms.

Édouard Glissant, long recognized in the French and francophone world as one of the greatest writers and thinkers of our times, is increasingly attracting attention from English-speaking readers. Born in Martinique in 1928, Glissant earned a doctorate from the Sorbonne.

Édouard Glissant, long recognized in the French and francophone world as one of the greatest writers and thinkers of our times, is increasingly attracting attention from English-speaking readers. Born in Martinique in 1928, Glissant earned a doctorate from the Sorbonne.

On this 16-track collection we get to hear some legendary artists perform the great compositions from "the father of gospel music." Includes Take My Hand, Precious Lord Marion Williams; When the Gates Swing Open Dixie Hummingbirds; (There'll Be) Peace in the Valley R. H. Harris; Highway to Heaven Alex Bradford (with Dorsey on piano), and others.

On this 16-track collection we get to hear some legendary artists perform the great compositions from "the father of gospel music." Includes Take My Hand, Precious Lord Marion Williams; When the Gates Swing Open Dixie Hummingbirds; (There'll Be) Peace in the Valley R. H. Harris; Highway to Heaven Alex Bradford (with Dorsey on piano), and others.

A photographic reproduction of a drawing by Johannes Woudanus of the library at Leiden University, showing the organization of materials by topic.

A photographic reproduction of a drawing by Johannes Woudanus of the library at Leiden University, showing the organization of materials by topic.

This landmark history of slavery in the South—a winner of the Bancroft Prize—challenged conventional views of slaves by illuminating the many forms of resistance to dehumanization that developed in slave society. Rather than emphasizing the cruelty and degradation of slavery, historian Eugene Genovese investigates the ways that slaves forced their owners to acknowledge their humanity through culture, music, and religion.

This landmark history of slavery in the South—a winner of the Bancroft Prize—challenged conventional views of slaves by illuminating the many forms of resistance to dehumanization that developed in slave society. Rather than emphasizing the cruelty and degradation of slavery, historian Eugene Genovese investigates the ways that slaves forced their owners to acknowledge their humanity through culture, music, and religion.

Miles Davis originally began recording this album in 1985. It marked a radical departure from his usual sound with the inclusion of funk and soul grooves. However, it was shelved and left unheard and untouched for 30 years. Now it has been completed.

Miles Davis originally began recording this album in 1985. It marked a radical departure from his usual sound with the inclusion of funk and soul grooves. However, it was shelved and left unheard and untouched for 30 years. Now it has been completed.

Nine inch nails driven through walls from inside the building compose a uniform grid, protecting unknown contents within.

Nine inch nails driven through walls from inside the building compose a uniform grid, protecting unknown contents within.

The first track on the 1959 album Kind of Blue by American trumpeter Miles Davis.

The first track on the 1959 album Kind of Blue by American trumpeter Miles Davis.

Summary: The Jamaican writer and cultural theorist Sylvia Wynter is best known for her diverse writings that pull together insights from theories in history, literature, science, and black studies, to explore race, the legacy of colonialism, and representations of humanness. Sylvia Wynter: On Being Human as Praxis is a critical genealogy of Wynter's work, highlighting her insights on how race, location, and time together inform what it means to be human.

Summary: The Jamaican writer and cultural theorist Sylvia Wynter is best known for her diverse writings that pull together insights from theories in history, literature, science, and black studies, to explore race, the legacy of colonialism, and representations of humanness. Sylvia Wynter: On Being Human as Praxis is a critical genealogy of Wynter's work, highlighting her insights on how race, location, and time together inform what it means to be human.

Summary: Copiously illustrated scrap-book on folk culture of Black people from early days of slavery through the present. Includes photographs, illustrations, advertisements, plans, form documents, sheet music, and more all printed in facsimile.

Summary: Copiously illustrated scrap-book on folk culture of Black people from early days of slavery through the present. Includes photographs, illustrations, advertisements, plans, form documents, sheet music, and more all printed in facsimile.

An annual guidebook for African-American roadtrippers.

An annual guidebook for African-American roadtrippers.

In the history of recorded blues and spirituals, there is no greater singer and songwriter than Blind Willie Johnson. With a vocal delivery ranging from raw rage to tenderness wedded to his talking guitar, Blind Willie's recordings are as powerful today as when he made them, from 1927 to 1930.

In the history of recorded blues and spirituals, there is no greater singer and songwriter than Blind Willie Johnson. With a vocal delivery ranging from raw rage to tenderness wedded to his talking guitar, Blind Willie's recordings are as powerful today as when he made them, from 1927 to 1930.

Mechal Sobel's fascinating study of the religious history of slaves and free blacks in antebellum America is presented here in a compact volume without the appendixes. Sobel's central thesis is that Africans brought their world views into North America where, eventually, under the tremendous pressures and hardships of chattel slavery, they created a coherent faith that preserved and revitalized crucial African understandings and usages regarding spirit and soul-travels, while melding them with Christian understandings of Jesus and individual salvation.

Mechal Sobel's fascinating study of the religious history of slaves and free blacks in antebellum America is presented here in a compact volume without the appendixes. Sobel's central thesis is that Africans brought their world views into North America where, eventually, under the tremendous pressures and hardships of chattel slavery, they created a coherent faith that preserved and revitalized crucial African understandings and usages regarding spirit and soul-travels, while melding them with Christian understandings of Jesus and individual salvation.

A breathtaking exploration of the lives of young black women in the early twentieth century. In Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments, Saidiya Hartman examines the revolution of black intimate life that unfolded in Philadelphia and New York at the beginning of the twentieth century. Free love, common-law and transient marriages, serial partners, cohabitation outside of wedlock, queer relations, and single motherhood were among the sweeping changes that altered the character of everyday life and challenged traditional Victorian beliefs about courtship, love, and marriage.

A breathtaking exploration of the lives of young black women in the early twentieth century. In Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments, Saidiya Hartman examines the revolution of black intimate life that unfolded in Philadelphia and New York at the beginning of the twentieth century. Free love, common-law and transient marriages, serial partners, cohabitation outside of wedlock, queer relations, and single motherhood were among the sweeping changes that altered the character of everyday life and challenged traditional Victorian beliefs about courtship, love, and marriage.

Frantz Fanon may be most known for his more obviously political writings, but in the first instance, he was a clinician, a black Caribbean psychiatrist who had the improbable task of treating disturbed and traumatized North African patients during the wars of decolonization. Investigating and foregrounding the clinical system that Fanon devised in an attempt to intervene against negrophobia and anti-blackness, this book rereads his clinical and political work together, arguing that the two are mutually imbricated.

Frantz Fanon may be most known for his more obviously political writings, but in the first instance, he was a clinician, a black Caribbean psychiatrist who had the improbable task of treating disturbed and traumatized North African patients during the wars of decolonization. Investigating and foregrounding the clinical system that Fanon devised in an attempt to intervene against negrophobia and anti-blackness, this book rereads his clinical and political work together, arguing that the two are mutually imbricated.