Harlem Renaissance Bibliography, Annotated Bibliography Example

Corbould, C. (2007). Streets, Sounds and Identity in Interwar Harlem. Journal of Social History, 40(4), 859-894.

The author discusses how the noises of Harlem were conveyed by members of white society and black society. To most members of white society, the sounds coming from Harlem during the renaissance were just noise, but to members of black society it represented so much more. Harlem represented freedom to blacks. Just being able to sing or make noises in the street was something that was prohibited by Jim Crow laws in the South.

Harris, L.A. (2009). What’s in a Name? That Which We Call Brilliance by Any Other Name Would Read Festus McKay. Radical History Review, (103) 236-243.

The author discusses McKay famous poem If We Must Die. He believes this is a representation of how many blacks felt during the Harlem Renaissance. They were so tired of being repressed and oppressed; they were willing to die for freedom if they could die gracefully. He discusses the style McKay wrote the poem in because McKay felt affluent blacks were accustomed to reading a certain caliber of writing. So, he used a certain style to reach the people he wanted to reach.

Jordan, G. (2011). Re-membering the African American Past. Cultural Studies, 25(6), 848-891.

The author discusses the new Negros that emerged during the Harlem Renaissance. Several photos are discussed as to how they represented the image that blacks wanted people to have of them. They were stylish and dignified. The images were so important that many pictures were hand photo-shopped to correct errors like crooked teeth are frayed clothing and other skin imperfections.

Lutenski, E. (2008). A Small Man in Big Spaces: The New Negro, the Mestizo, and Jean Toomer’s Southwestern Writing. Melus, 33(1), 11-32.

In this article, the author discusses the life of Toomer and how he represented the new Negro during the Harlem Renaissance. Lutenski criticizes Toomer because he believes that he denounced his Negro background and essentially just became a mouth-piece for the race. He spoke one thing, but lived another. He moved to Mexico and married a white woman. All of which would have been a disgraceful act for a black man during the Harlem Renaissance-a time in which African-Americans were trying to change the perspective of the Negro race. Advocates of the Harlem Renaissance were outraged. When James Weldon Johnson wrote Toomer asking for permission to put some of his poetry in the Book of Negro Poetry, Toomer refused. This article is beneficial because it shows the flip side of the effect of the Harlem Renaissance on black identity.

Price, J. J. (2005). Hegemony, Hope, and the Harlem Renaissance: Taking Hip Hop Culture Seriously. Convergence, 38(2), 55-64

The author discusses how the older generations of the times are often so disconnected with members of the hip hop culture. This fact is just as true today as it was during the Harlem Renaissance. The author reflects on the Harlem Renaissance and how this time frame awakened black aesthetics. Many of the hegemogenic notions were dispelled by prominent member of the Harlem Renaissance. For example, the author discusses The Souls of Black Folks written by Dubois. He dispelled the prominent belief that blacks had no souls because they were not all human. Many other areas were addressed, like spirituality.