Nationalizing Blackness: Afrocubanismo and Artistic Revolution in Havana, 1920-1940 (Pitt Latin American Studies)

Book Description

Nationalizing Blackness uses the music of the 1920s and 1930s to examine Cuban society as it begins to embrace Afrocuban culture. Moore examines the public debate over “degenerate Africanisms” associated with comparas or carnival bands; similar controversies associated with son music; the history of blackface theater shows; the rise of afrocubanismo in the context of anti-imperialist nationalism and revolution against Gerardo Machado; the history of cabaret rumba; an overview of poetry, painting, and music inspired by Afrocuban street culture; and reactions of the black Cuban middle classes to afrocubanismo. He has collected numerous illustrations of early twentieth-century performers in Havana, many included in this book.

Nationalizing Blackness represents one of the first politicized studies of twentieth-century culture in Cuba. It demonstrates how music can function as the center of racial and cultural conflict during the formation of a national identity.

Customer Reviews:

Interested in African-Latin music? Read this!.......2000-10-20

This book needed to be written. It is the story of Afro-Cuban musicians in the pre-revolutionary atmosphere of commercialism and imperialism from the US. Part of the story revolves around the racism of that era, which existed as well in the genres of big band and jazz. And part of the story revolves around the music of that time period--some of the richest and most complex in Latin American history. If you want to understand the use of African cultural identifications in popular music, this is a good place to start. It fills in some of the history which led up to the Buena Vista Social Club phenomenon today.

A must read !.......1999-10-22

An important work that sheds light and understanding of the struggles and triumphs of Afrocubans and their culture. Robin D. Moore takes you into a fascinating journey, with scholarly research and in depth analysis, of the racial experience during a period of tremendous changes and unrest in Cuba. This work is an enormous contribution to our understanding of this period between 1920 through 1940...Bravo!

an important work about race and music in cuba.......1999-01-09

Robin Moore's work is an important contribution to cuban studies. Combining archival research and interviews, Moore traces the arc of afrocuban cultural expression in the early 20th century from dispised cultural form to national symbol, a process, moore notes, which has interesting parallels to the United States. Scholarly but readable, this book is destined to become a standard work in cuban musicology and contributes to cultural, ethnic, and popular music studies.

Nationalizing Blackness: Afrocubanismo and Artistic Revolution in Havana, 1920-1940.(Review) (book reviews): An article from: Notes

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Nationalizing Blackness: Afrocubanismo and Artistic Revolution in Havana, 1920-1940.(Review) (book reviews): An article from: Notes
Steven Cornelius
Manufacturer: Music Library Association, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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This digital document is an article from Notes, published by Music Library Association, Inc. on December 1, 1998. The length of the article is 1064 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Nationalizing Blackness: Afrocubanismo and Artistic Revolution in Havana, 1920-1940.(Review) (book reviews)
Author: Steven Cornelius
Publication: Notes (Refereed)
Date: December 1, 1998
Publisher: Music Library Association, Inc.
Volume: 55 Issue: 2 Page: 400(2)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Customer Reviews:

Good collection by a master of wit.......2002-05-10

Huck Finn, I could take or leave. Conn Yankee is among my favorit e classics. Joan of Arc---better than other interpretations of
warrior women. I recommend this collection and "Damsel in the Rough" by Ann M. Tempesta.

a great collection.......1999-06-23

for fans who wish there were another Huck Finn or Tom Sawyer, you will find Mark Twain's 'joan of arc' just as beautifully written as his more famous 'prince an the pauper' and 'connecticut yankee'. for catholics, 'joan of arc' is even more of a must read, a stunning proof how this great saint has captured the hearts of so many, regardless of their skepticism or creed. Library of America editions are beautifully bound, lightweight, and readable. here they contain the two most famous of his non-mississippi writings with a gem most of us never knew existed. a keepsake for the decades.

A fabulous collection of perhaps Twain's very best works!.......1999-02-20

This collection contains my 2 childhood and all-time Twain favorites - Prince & Pauper, and Connecticut Yankee - and added the magical ingredient of a historical romance I never knew Twain had written - Joan of Arc. Now that I have read this as well, I see that it may be even better than the other two!

The wry sense of humor characteristic of Twain definitely is most in evidence in CT Yankee. All 3 of these works deliver Twain's wide understanding of human nature in different times and sociological conditions, and his admiration of human nobility and greatness of heart in adversity. Joan of Arc unquestionably is the most inspiring of these tales, being the story of the greatest hero (or heroine). The Prince and the Pauper, however, remains a jewel of an adventure story, which any child can identify with, and learn from.

Customer Reviews:

Curates Egg.......2007-01-16

This is a dense book covering a wide range of fascinating subject matter. Much of the argument and content runs at odds with established histories and will be regarded as "academic heresy" by many. If only half of it is true, then it is truly a fascinating piece of work and well worth picking up. Although in some cases it does expound "new ideas" which are now widely accepted.

Unfortunately, the author has an axe to grind and does this repeatedly in an over the top treatment throughout the book, which detracts somewhat from the excellence of the read. Additionally there are a few leaps in explanation which sometimes leave the reader perplexed, coupled with a considerable amount of repetition and somewhat low budget graphics in places. I fear that this style will put mainstream academics off even bothering to follow up and test many of its hypotheses.

Putting this wingeing aside,it is worth ploughing through the book, because there is a lot of exciting stuff in there and it's a refreshing challenge to received wisdom in an area which is under researched.

Waited 40 years for this great tome.......2005-11-11

I've been interested in the King Arthur thing for many years but was not convinced by stories of him being in Somerset and all points west.
My grandparents told me that they had been taught that Arthur was son of Meurig, son of Tewdrig, a great king of the Glamorgan dynasty. But how hard was it to find this book before the internet came along and Amazon offered me the chance to read this and The Holy Kingdom.
So allthough this history is personal to me I can see its relevance to readers across the globe as it is their history.
Why do many regions in the UK claim Arthur? Because there were two Arthurs, who fought at separate times and in separate places. All the evidence is here. Arthur ll's cousin Madoc Morfran then journeyed to the USA in the 6th Century and vast amounts of evidence are provided for the reader in this respect.
The abilities of Arthur ll, Madoc and their counterparts in terms of seafaring ability does not surprise me but what amazed me was the amount of detail, documentation and facts provided by Grant Berkley.
The author has cleared worked closely with historians Wilson and Blackett to provide a thoroughly fascinating account of early penetration of the Americas and the history of those who accomplished this feat.
I feel like a whole new vista has opened up for me and I hope more books will be forthcoming.

HISTORY THAT I HADN'T BEEN TAUGHT.......2005-11-10

I read the book in amazement. This wasn't what those boring tutors had taught me at school. It wasn't what my Priest told me in church. And it was not easy to find on the Internet.
Away from the digital playground I went to my local library to see if what Berkley writes is true; that my history has been perverted, altered, done away with and destroyed. Sadly and surprisingly, what he says is true and my fear is that not enough people know what has happened to their history.
You can indeed read the sources the author provides. Visit the library like I did.
And I do think it's a key to many hundreds of millions of European-American people's identity, which is probably why no major publisher, more interested in Posh n Becks scandal, will touch it to their eternal shame.
Although a brilliant book and one worthy of sitting on anyone with a brain's shelf, the writing style is unique and prone to repetition. By which I mean it doesn't read like the travelogue style so beloved of mainstream publishers.
It is my hope that this book does very well.............

A STUNNING BOOK.......2005-11-05

Coelbren is very well-known by those aware of establishment attempts to replace real British history with a fake one more suited to the needs and aspirations of the controllers.

Coelbren was passed down from generation to generation and written about at great length by John Williams in 1946, in the seminal Barddas in 1852 and by the noted historian D Delta Evans in 1906. There have been numerous other studies.

Every year at the Welsh Eisteddfod Coelbren novelty items are on sale and you can always follow a trip to North Wales with a trip to South Wales where you will see Coelbren carved in Cardiff Castle.

The same, identical alphabet is found in Welsh churches, throughout the UK,throughout Central Europe and back to the Middle East. This is the same alphabet found in the Nag Hammadi texts and can be translated using the same methods as generations of Welsh Bards used...

With British history one can easily see that a "replacement version", minus the achievements of the ancient British, has been developed. Out went the successful, noble, cultured, worldly wise and scientifically advanced Ancient Britons - who were experts in astronomy for example - and in came semi-literate tribespeople so beloved of the academic estblishment and 19th Century Imperialists seeking to justify Empire...

Coelbren is one key to unravelling all this and bringing the light of truth to shine on an increasingly truth-hungry public...

If you want the truth, read The King Arthur Conspiracy.

If not, stick to Ball and Ashe!

A sadly deficient study.......2005-08-28

My interest in this book derives from having worked as an archaeologist in the Ohio Valley region for over 25 years and though my comments will be largely restricted to matters which pertain to this specific geographic area in large part they are applicable to much of the book's content. Despite otherwise glowing reviews which have appeared in this forum, I personally found the volume woefully lacking as a worthwhile scholarly effort. Grandiose and sweeping claims are made with abandon throughout the book yet remain either poorly documented or, in most instances, simply not documented at all. Among these claims are assertions that numerous reputed ancient Welsh Coelbren inscriptions in the form of petroglyphs (rock carvings) have been found in Kentucky. Early in the book (pg. 9) the reader is shown an illustration of this supposed 7th century alphabet which consists of 40 letters, each formed only with straight lines. However, as one progresses in the volume and critically examines the so-called Coelbren inscriptions found within the region (see Chapters 16 and 17) it cannot escape the reader's attention that many of these are fashioned from characters utilizing curved lines. Moreover, elsewhere in the text (pages 120-124) the author glibly informs us that early Coelbren contained only 16 letters. As is true to course with the vast majority of this long and rambling tome, no supporting epigraphic or documentary evidence is offered to explain this anomaly. Buried deep within the volume's 583 pages, the answer to this conundrum appears on page 400, and I quote:

"At all times, Jim Michael, Alan Wilson, and Barem Blackett [research collaborators in the study examined by Berkley], have been careful never to reveal the Coelbren Ciphers to anyone in America. So which Sign corresponds to what modern letter is kept as secret as possible. This has to be done to avoid allegations of forgery, although the majority of Coelbren inscriptions have been well known for very long periods and were never before identified as British Coelbren. It also serves to prevent any 'helpful' forged inscriptions being made."

In actuality, what the reader is being told - and is expected to unquestioning believe - is that: (1) no other scholars know the "secret code" required to "translate" such inscriptions; (2) there is no way that anything they say can be either confirmed or disproved; and therefore (3) "you'll just have to trust us" concerning the accuracy (or lack thereof) of any given translation. In plain and simple terms, any inscription can convey any meaning they wish. Such cult "scholarship" in concert with claims of esoteric knowledge and a self-imposed aura of infallibility is an unabashed display of outlandish arrogance which has all the trappings of outright fraud. Indeed, this approach must surely qualify as the type of snake-oil show which would have made P. T. Barnum smile and say to himself, "Now why didn't I think of that!" "Why," one is left to reasonably ponder, "are these the only people capable of reading this reputed ancient script in a nation not lacking in qualified scholars capable of translating any number of dead languages from Ogham to cuneiform to hieroglyphics to Linear B?" One must further wonder how it is that historians and archaeologists alike in the British Isles can ferret out obscure stones bearing Ogham or Latin inscriptions yet are presumably intellectually incapable of recognizing a form of writing said to be indigenous to their own country. Perhaps even more amazing is the assertion (pages 507-523) that the copper scroll (scroll 3Q15) found near Qumran, Israel, was written in Colbren rather than Hebrew and the Welsh were part of the "Ten Lost Tribes of Israel". Likewise, any and all serious and academically respected Arthurian or Welsh scholars such as Geoffrey Ashe, Leslie Alcock, or Griffith John Williams are arbitrarily dismissed as completely inept, untrustworthy, and agenda driven. It accordingly comes as little surprise that serious scholars reject the work of Wilson and Blackett and their associates. For those who enjoy fairy tales, this book will provide several hours of entertainment. At the same time, it should be kept in mind that in common with Swiss cheese, this volume offers a little bit of substance replete with a good many holes. Conversely, individuals seeking serious and critical scholarship regarding Arthur, Madoc, and Welsh lore would be well advised to seek out more substantive and reliable sources. Regrettably, the greatest "conspiracy" evidenced in this book is aimed at attacking the intelligence of its readers.

Submitted by: Donald B. Ball
Louisville, Kentucky

The Petexbatun Regional Archaeological Project: A Multidisciplinary Study of the Maya Collapse (Vanderbilt Institute of Mesoamerican Archaeology Monograph)

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The Petexbatun Regional Archaeological Project: A Multidisciplinary Study of the Maya Collapse (Vanderbilt Institute of Mesoamerican Archaeology Monograph)
Arthur A. Demarest
Manufacturer: Vanderbilt University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 082651443X

King Arthur Flour Company (VT) (Images of America)

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King Arthur Flour Company (VT) (Images of America)
David A. Anderson
Manufacturer: Arcadia Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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King Arthur in America (Arthurian Studies)

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King Arthur in America (Arthurian Studies)
Alan Lupack , and Barbara Tepa Lupack
Manufacturer: D.S.Brewer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0859916308

Book Description

The Arthurian legends have had an immense and enduring appeal in America, influencing both America's own mythologies and its literature, film, social history, and popular culture. This is the first full-length study to focus exclusively on American re-interpretations of Arthuriana, and it offers detailed treatments of major authors traditionally associated with the legends, including Mark Twain, Edwin Arlington Robinson, T.S. Eliot, and John Steinbeck; it also explores the important use of Arthurian material by authors not usually considered in an Arthurian context, and by lesser-known writers. Among the topics addressed in the chronological survey are the beginnings of American Arthurian literature and the different reactions to Tennyson; satire and parody; the moralising of knighthood and the development of a body of didactic literature for children; and the reinterpretations of Arthurian tradition in the works of contemporary writers such as Walker Percy and John Updike. A concluding chapter analyses Arthurian themes in American popular fiction and film and demonstrates the extent to which the Arthurian tradition has influenced American popular culture. The volume is completed with a comprehensive bibliography.ALAN LUPACK is Curator of the Rossell Hope Robbins Library at the University of Rochester; BARBARA TEPA LUPACKis former Academic Dean at SUNY and Fulbright Professor of American Literature in Poland and France.

Florentine Codex: General History of the Things of New Spain. Book 8--Kings and Lords (Book 8 : Kings and Lords)

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Florentine Codex: General History of the Things of New Spain. Book 8--Kings and Lords (Book 8 : Kings and Lords)
Arthur J. O. Anderson
Manufacturer: University of Utah Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0874800056

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King Arthur and the Grail Quest
John Matthews
Manufacturer: Brockhampton Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Llyr Llediaith [Old King Lear] and Lyra [Arthur's harp]

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Llyr Llediaith [Old King Lear] and Lyra [Arthur's harp]
Kathleen O'Loughlin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

King Arthur in America.(Review): An article from: The Modern Language Review

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King Arthur in America.(Review): An article from: The Modern Language Review
James Hurt
Manufacturer: Modern Humanities Research Association
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from The Modern Language Review, published by Modern Humanities Research Association on January 1, 2001. The length of the article is 744 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: King Arthur in America.(Review)
Author: James Hurt
Publication: The Modern Language Review (Refereed)
Date: January 1, 2001
Publisher: Modern Humanities Research Association
Volume: 96 Issue: 1 Page: 174(2)

Article Type: Book Review

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Brief sketches of some of our ancestors: In the first five generations in America of the Lord, Leland, King, Smith, Strong families

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Brief sketches of some of our ancestors: In the first five generations in America of the Lord, Leland, King, Smith, Strong families
Arthur Hardy Lord
Manufacturer: s.n.]
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0007AH86C

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