From The Plantation To The Prison: African-American Confinement Literature (H746/Mrc)

According to George Jackson, black men born in the US are conditioned to accept the inevitability of being imprisoned.... Being born a slave in a captive society and never experiencing any objective basis for expectation had the effect of preparing me for the progressively traumatic misfortune that led so many black men to the prison gate. I was prepared for prison. It required only minor psychic adjustments. As Jackson writes from his prison cell, his statement may seem to be only a product of his current status. However, history proves his point. Indeed, some of the most well-known and respected black men have served time in jail or prison. Among them are Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Marcus Garvey, and Frederick Douglass. This book is an examination of the various forms that imprisonment, as asocial, historical, and political experience of African Americans, has taken. Confinement describes the status of individuals who are placed within boundaries either seen or unseen but always felt. A word that suggests extensive implications, confinement describes the status of persons who are imprisoned and who are unjustly relegated to a social status that is hostile, rendering them powerless and subject to the rules of the authorities. Arguably, confinement appropriately describes the status of African Americans who have endured spaces of confinement, which include, but are not limited to plantations, Jim Crow societies, and prisons. At specific times, these spaces of confinement have been used to oppress African Americans socially, politically, and spiritually. Contributors examine the related experiences of Malcolm X, Bigger Thomas of Native Son, and Angela Davis.

About the Author :
Tara T. Green was raised in a suburb of New Orleans. She received her bachelor's degree in English from Dillard University and her doctorate degree in English from Louisiana State University. Since graduating in 2000, she has taught at universities in Louisiana and Arizona. Currently, she is an Associate Professor and Director of the African American Studies Program at the University of North Carolina in Greensboro. Her areas of research include, twentieth century African American literature and protest movements. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and various professional organizations.