ALTERNATIVE PERSPECTIVES OF AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURE AND REPRESENTATION IN THE WORKS OF ISHMAEL REED

Jason Andrew Jackl
San Francisco, California2018
MA Thesis
http://dspace.calstate.edu/bitstream/handle/10211.3/203713/AS362018ENGLJ33.pdf?sequence=1

This thesis demonstrates the ways in which Ishmael Reed proposes incisive counter narratives to the hegemonic master narratives that perpetuate degrading misportrayals of Afro American culture in the historical record and mainstream news and entertainment media of the United States. Many critics and readers have responded reductively to Reed’s work by hastily dismissing his proposals, thereby disallowingthoughtful critical engagement with Reed’s views as put forth in his fiction and non­fiction writing. The study that follows asserts that Reed’s corpus deserves more thoughtful critical and public recognition than it has received thus far. To that end, Iargue that a critical re-exploration of his fiction and non-fiction writing would yieldprofound contributions to the ongoing national dialogue on race relations in America.