Table Of ContentAfrican American Political
Thought and American Culture
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African American Political
Thought and American Culture
The Nation’s Struggle for
Racial Justice
Alex Zamalin
african american political thought and american culture
Copyright © Alex Zamalin 2015
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2015 978-1-137-52809-4
All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made
without written permission. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, copied or
transmitted save with written permission. In accordance with the provisions of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting
limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, Saffron House, 6-10 Kirby Street,
London EC1N 8TS.
Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be
liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
First published 2015 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN
The author has asserted their right to be identified as the author of this work in
accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
Palgrave Macmillan in the UK is an imprint of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in
England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire, RG21 6XS.
Palgrave Macmillan in the US is a division of Nature America, Inc., One New York Plaza,
Suite 4500, New York, NY 10004-1562.
Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies and has
companies and representatives throughout the world.
ISBN: 978-1-349-55309-9
E-PDF ISBN: 978-1-137-52810-0
DOI: 10.1057/9781137528100
Distribution in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world is by Palgrave Macmillan®,
a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England, company number
785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Zamalin, Alex, 1986–
African American political thought and American culture : the nation’s struggle for
racial justice / by Alex Zamalin.
pages cm
Summary: “This book demonstrates how certain African American writers radically
re-envisioned core American ideals in order to make them serviceable for racial justice.
Each writer’s unprecedented reconstruction of key American values has the potential
to energize American citizenship today”— Provided by publisher.
Summary: “In African American Political Thought and American Culture,
Alex Zamalin argues that African American writers James Baldwin, Ralph Ellison, and
Toni Morrison expand the boundaries of American political thought and practice. These
three writers uniquely reimagined core American ideals such as freedom, democratic
commitment, and generosity, demonstrating that the practice of these values in
everyday life, alongside the enactment of public policies and legislation, is essential
for achieving racial justice. Through a historically and politically grounded reading of
their work, Zamalin demonstrates that attending to these insights illuminates a
previously unrecognized aspect of twentieth century African American political
thought and intellectual life, and reveals a powerful and energizing source in the
contemporary struggle for racial equality” — Provided by publisher.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. American literature—African American authors—History and
criticism. 2. Baldwin, James, 1924–1987—Political and social views. 3. Ellison,
Ralph—Political and social views. 4. Morrison, Toni—Political and social
views. 5. African Americans—Intellectual life—20th century. 6. African
Americans—Politics and government—20th century. 7. Politics and literature—
United States—History—20th century. 8. Ideals (Philosophy) in literature
9. Race relations in literature. 10. Social justice in literature. I. Title.
PS153.N5Z36 2015
810.9’896073—dc23 2015013926
A catalogue record for the book is available from the British Library.
For Alison and Sam
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Contents
Acknowledgments ix
1 African American Political Thought and American Culture 1
2 James Baldwin’s Reconstruction of American Freedom 25
3 Ralph Ellison’s Democratic Vision 63
4 Toni Morrison’s Beloved, Generosity and Racial Justice 97
Conclusion: Racial Justice Today 131
Notes 139
Bibliography 171
Index 189
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Acknowledgments
This book benefitted from many scholars who saw it from its incep-
tion. In its earliest stages, Lawrie Balfour, Alyson Cole, Leonard
Feldman, Corey Robin, Jerry Watts, John Wallach, Andrew Polsky
and Charles Tien helped conceptualize the project’s broader contri-
butions to political science. I am particularly indebted to George
Shulman, who generously gave his time and intellectual effort to grap-
ple with some of the most difficult questions I encountered along the
way. Jack Turner and P. J. Brendese provided much needed encour-
agement and support in the final stages. Thanks too to my editor at
Palgrave, Brian O’Connor, who was enthusiastic about the book’s
interdisciplinary focus and scholarly contributions, and Elaine Fan,
who took the time to answer all of my editorial questions throughout
the process. I’d also like to thank WSQ: Women’s Studies Quarterly
for granting me the permission to reprint sections that appear in
chapter 4, which were originally published as “Beloved Citizens: Toni
Morrison’s Beloved, Racial Inequality, and American Public Policy,”
WSQ: Women’s Studies Quarterly 42, Nos. 1/2 (Spring–Summer
2014): 205–211.
I am especially grateful for Linda Alcoff’s support and constant
enthusiasm about the project and its changing directions. Linda’s
work on feminism, race and epistemology and exemplification of
political commitment and mentoring is a source of ongoing inspira-
tion. This, along with her generosity as a person, inspires me to see
that ethics is something worthy of scholarly consideration.
Rosalind Petchesky has been an important interlocutor throughout
the writing process. Ros was so incredibly generous with her close
readings of and insightful interpretations of my work. I am grateful for
the way she pushed me to identify the book’s political consequences,
while showing me its importance in ways I never imagined. I am
equally grateful for her friendship. Her warmth, kindness and hospi-
tality to my family and me cannot be quantified.
Uday Mehta’s generous eye toward understanding a thinker’s
complexity and appreciating an idea’s uniqueness has deepened the
