Title: Psychology comes to Harlem
Description: Departing from the largely accepted existence of a "Negro Problem," Wright and such literary luminaries as Ralph Ellison, Lillian Smith, and James Baldwin described and challenged a racist social order whose psychological undercurrents implicated all Americans and had yet to be adequately studied. Motivated by the elastic possibilities of clinical and academic inquiry, writers and critics undertook a rethinking of "race" and assessed the value of psychotherapy and psychological theory as antiracist strategies. Garcia examines how this new criticism brought together black and white writers and became a common idiom through fiction and nonfiction that attracted wide readerships.

An illuminating picture of mid-twentieth-century American literary culture and learned life, Psychology Comes to Harlem reveals the critical and intellectual innovation of literary artists who bridged psychology and antiracism to challenge segregation."--pub. desc.
Subjects: African American authors, Intellectual life, Criticism and interpretation, History and criticism, American literature, African Americans, Wright, richard, 1908-1960, Baldwin, james, 1924-1987, American literature, african american authors, history and criticism, African americans, intellectual life, Harlem (new york, n.y.), Psychology, History
Places: Harlem (New York, N.Y.)
People: James Baldwin (1924-1987), Richard Wright (1908-1960)
Time periods: 20th century