Cultural Sites of Critical Insight: Philosophy, Aesthetics, and African American and Native American Women's Writings

226 Pages·2007·1.196 MB·English

by  Angela L. Cotten, Christa Davis Acampora

Cultural Sites of Critical Insight

Cultural Sites of Critical Insight
Philosophy, Aesthetics, and African American
and Native American Women’s Writings
Edited by
Angela L. Cotten
and
Christa Davis Acampora
State University of New York Press
Published by
State University of New York Press, Albany
© 2007 State University of New York
All rights reserved
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Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Cultural sites of critical insight : philosophy, aesthetics, and African American
and Native American women’s writing / edited by Angela L. Cotten, Christa
Davis Acampora.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-7914-6979-8 (hardcover : alk. paper)
ISBN-13: 978-0-7914-6980-4 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. American literature—
African American authors—History and criticism. 2. American literature—
Indian authors—History and criticism. 3. American literature—Women
authors—History and criticism. 4. African American women authors—Aes-
thetics. 5. Indian women authors—Aesthetics. 6. African American women in
literature. 7. Indian women in literature. 8. Feminism in literature. I. Cotten,
Angela L., 1968- II. Acampora, Christa Davis, 1967-
PS153.N5C85 2007
810.9’928708996073—dc22
2006009009
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To Angela’s two mothers—
Mary Rogers Cotten and Martine Watson Brownley
And to Christa’s grandmothers—
Lillian, I wish I had known you,
Stella, I am glad I did, and
Ila James, I’m so very grateful I do.

Contents
I. INTRODUCTION
11
ON THE “RES” AND IN THE “HOOD”:
MAKING CULTURES, LEAVING LEGACIES
Angela L. Cotten 3
II. TRANSFORMATIVE AESTHETICS
12
SELF-HELP, INDIAN STYLE? PAULA GUNN ALLEN’S
GRANDMOTHERS OF THE LIGHT, WOMANIST SELF-
RECOVERY, AND THE POLITICS OF TRANSFORMATION
AnaLouise Keating 31
13
MAKING THE AWAKENING HERS: PHILLIS WHEATLEY
AND THE TRANSPOSITION OF AFRICAN SPIRITUALITY TO
CHRISTIAN RELIGIOSITY
Elizabeth J. West 47
14
“ANY WOMAN’S BLUES”: SHERLEY ANNE WILLIAMS
AND THE BLUES AESTHETIC
Michael A. Antonucci 67
III. CRITICAL REVISIONS
15
THROUGH THE MIRROR: RE-SURFACING AND SELF-
ARTICULATION IN LINDA HOGAN’S SOLAR STORMS
Ellen L. Arnold 85
16
THE RED-BLACK CENTER OF ALICE WALKER’S MERIDIAN:
ASSERTING A CHEROKEE WOMANIST SENSIBILITY
Barbara S. Tracy 105
17
WOMANIST INTERVENTIONS IN HISTORICAL MATERIALISM
Angela L. Cotten 121
vii
viii CONTENTS
IV. RE(IN)FUSING FEMINISM
18
“BOTH THE LAW AND ITS TRANSGRESSION”:
TONI MORRISON’S PARADISE AND “POST”–BLACK
FEMINISM
Noelle Morrissette 139
19
LUCI TAPAHONSO’S “LEDA AND THE COWBOY”:
A GYNOCRATIC, NAVAJO RESPONSE TO YEATS’S
“LEDA AND THE SWAN”
Maggie Romigh 159
10
MOTHER TIMES TWO: A DOUBLE TAKE ON A
GYNOCENTRIC JUSTICE SONG
Margot R. Reynolds 171
REFERENCES 191
CONTRIBUTORS 207
INDEX 211
Part I
Introduction