
Rewriting Exodus
American Futures from Du Bois to Obama
Anna Hartnell(Author)
Pluto Press
Published on 6. May 2011
Book
Hardback
304 pages
978-0-7453-2956-7 (ISBN)
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Description
Exodus, as a powerful narrative of liberation, has been a central imaginative touchstone in the black American struggle against US racism. This book traces the concept in a number of pivotal black thinkers, and explores its signficance for contemporary America.
The exodus story is a fitting allegory for the painful experience of exile that disproportionately afflicted African Americans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and it also provides compelling imagery for the triumphant election of Barack Obama in 2008. Building around these themes, Anna Hartnell traces the intellectual development of one of the defining narratives of black American thinking on social justice in the United States.
In placing black America at the centre of the study of US culture, Rewriting Exodus suggests new ways of thinking about America's relationship with the Middle East and the wider postcolonial world. Hartnell's groundbreaking contribution marks a vital new chapter in American cultural and political history.
The exodus story is a fitting allegory for the painful experience of exile that disproportionately afflicted African Americans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and it also provides compelling imagery for the triumphant election of Barack Obama in 2008. Building around these themes, Anna Hartnell traces the intellectual development of one of the defining narratives of black American thinking on social justice in the United States.
In placing black America at the centre of the study of US culture, Rewriting Exodus suggests new ways of thinking about America's relationship with the Middle East and the wider postcolonial world. Hartnell's groundbreaking contribution marks a vital new chapter in American cultural and political history.
Reviews / Votes
'This important, smartly written, and insightful study facilitates deeper understanding of why President Barack Obama's election failed to reconcile fundamental fissures in American society' -- Darlene Clark Hine, Board of Trustees Professor of African American Studies & Professor of History, Northwestern University Chair, Department of African American Studies, Northwestern UniversityMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Library binding
Dimensions
Height: 215 mm
Width: 135 mm
Weight
457 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7453-2956-7 (9780745329567)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
05/2011
1st Edition
Pluto Press
€122.99
Available for download
Person
Anna Hartnell is Senior Lecturer in Contemporary Literature at Birkbeck College, University of London. She is the author of Rewriting Exodus (Pluto, 2011).
Content
Acknowledgements
Introduction - Rewriting Exodus
1. Re-reading America: Barack Obama
2. Double Consciousness and the Master/Slave Dialectic: W.E.B. Du Bois
3. Excavating the Promised Land: Martin Luther King
4. Reclaiming 'Egypt': Malcolm X
5. Transcending the Nation: Toni Morrison's Paradise
Conclusion - Exodus and Return in Post-Katrina New Orleans
Notes
Bibliography
index
Introduction - Rewriting Exodus
1. Re-reading America: Barack Obama
2. Double Consciousness and the Master/Slave Dialectic: W.E.B. Du Bois
3. Excavating the Promised Land: Martin Luther King
4. Reclaiming 'Egypt': Malcolm X
5. Transcending the Nation: Toni Morrison's Paradise
Conclusion - Exodus and Return in Post-Katrina New Orleans
Notes
Bibliography
index