Performing Female Blackness
Performing Female Blackness by Naila Keleta-Mae, published by Wilfrid Laurier University Press in 2023, offers a critical examination of race, gender, and nation within Black life. This 164-page book utilizes methodologies from critical race, feminist, and performance studies to explore the implications of both private and public performances of female blackness, particularly in the context of Canada. The author argues that performance is integral to the ontology of female blackness, as individuals who are female and Black are often compelled to navigate and embody the fantasies imposed by dominant culture.
Readers will find a rich exploration of Black expressive culture across various settings, including familial, literary, and performance contexts. Keleta-Mae’s work illustrates how those perceived as female and Black are perpetually positioned on a figurative stage, regardless of their cultural, political, or historical circumstances. The book is presented in a blend of poetry, prose, and journal entries, drawing from the author’s personal experiences and artistic endeavors. Performing Female Blackness is a valuable resource for scholars, educators, and students engaged in the fields of race, gender, performance, and Black expressive culture.
Official synopsis Publisher
“Performing Female Blackness examines race, gender, and nation in Black life using critical race, feminist and performance studies methodologies. This book examines what private and public performances of female blackness reveal about race, gender, and nation and considers how Canada shapes these performances. Naila Keleta-Mae proposes that performance is part of the ontology of female blackness in the public and private spaces that constitute everyday life because people who are female and Black are constantly expected to perform fantasies–be it their own or, far more commonly, those insisted on by dominant culture. By exploring Black expressive culture in familial, literary, and performance settings, the author demonstrates how people who are read as female and Black in private and public settings, are figuratively on stage regardless of the cultural, political, or historical contexts in which they find themselves. Written in poetry, prose and journal-form and drawing from the author’s own life and artistic works, Performing Female Blackness is ideal for scholars, educators, and students of race, gender, performance, and Black expressive culture.”–
Publisher
Topics
FAQ
What is “Performing Female Blackness” about?
Who is the author of “Performing Female Blackness”?
When was “Performing Female Blackness” published?
What is the ISBN for “Performing Female Blackness”?
What are the book details (language, pages, edition)?
