Black Women Writers

This course provides an introduction to the major themes and concerns of twentieth- and twenty-first century African American women writers. We begin in the 18th century and move quickly to the 20th and 21st. We will examine the ways in which black womanhood is characterized through intersecting categories of race, gender, class, sexuality, and empire. We will explore how selected authors wrestle with stereotypical images of African American women, examine the connections between black womanhood, community, and empire, and discuss the benefits and limitations of the concept of black women's writing. Possible writers include Frances Harper, Maria Stewart, Anne Spencer, Zora Neale Hurston, Gwendolyn Brooks, Toni Morrison, Audre Lorde, Gloria Naylor, Octavia Butler, and others.