Writing Harlem: Identity, Image, and Ide

This course uses a diverse variety of cultural materials produced in and about Harlem, from poetry and fiction to music, art, and film to manifestoes, sermons, and political speeches, in order to offer a broad and deep introduction to the history of uptown Manhattan. While Black Harlem forms the focal point of our investigation, the wide varieties of identities that found a home in uptown Manhattan, from the Native American, Dutch, and British periods, to the early American era, to the rise of German, Italian, Jewish, and Latinx Harlem, to the "New Renaissance" currently underway uptown, are also covered. Of particular interest is the role of women in Harlem, as farmers and traders in the Native American, Colonial, and early American periods, to writers, musicians, and sculptors during the Harlem Renaissance, to the current generation of uptown politicians, artists, and educators. A special bonus will be twice-weekly walking tours, including the opportunity to conduct oral histories with contemporary Harlemites.