Signifyin(g), Sanctifyin', and Slam Dunking: Signifyin(g), Sanctifyin', & Slam Dunking: A Reader in African American Expressive Culture
Is there an African American aesthetic, or is such a concept a reinforcement of racial stereotyping? If there is such an aesthetic, what are some of its characteristics? Although this anthology does not provide definitive answers to such questions, its explorations make for provocative reading. The pieces (written by authors like Zora Neale Hurston and John Edgar Wideman and ranging from gospel to rap) trace African American culture back to Africa and demonstrate the influences of an African American aesthetic on American culture in general. The book is divided into three sections: music and dance (by far the largest); signifyin'Athat is, oral expression; and sports. Left out are "visual art, film, humor [and] theater." Though some of the writings are uneven, and there are notable omissions (e.g., the Black Arts Movement), this engaging collection from Caponi (American Studies, Univ. of Texas, San Antonio) will be of interest to students of black studies and cultural studies. For public and academic libraries.ALouis J. Parascandola, Long Island Univ., Brooklyn, NYCopyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.