{"product_id":"see-justice-done-the-problem-of-law-in-the-african-american-literary-tradition-paperback","title":"See Justice Done: The Problem of Law in the African American Literary Tradition - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eChristopher Michael Brown\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eSee Justice Done: The Problem of Law in the African American Literary Tradition\u003c\/i\u003e, author Christopher Michael Brown argues that African American literature has profound and deliberate legal roots. Tracing this throughline from the eighteenth century to the present, Brown demonstrates that engaging with legal culture in its many forms--including its conventions, paradoxes, and contradictions--is paramount to understanding Black writing. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBrown begins by examining petitions submitted by free and enslaved Blacks to colonial and early republic legislatures. A virtually unexplored archive, these petitions aimed to demonstrate the autonomy and competence of their authors. Brown also examines early slave autobiographies such as Olaudah Equiano's \u003ci\u003eInteresting Narrative \u003c\/i\u003eand Mary Prince's \u003ci\u003eHistory\u003c\/i\u003e, which were both written in the form of legal petitions. These works invoke scenes of Black competence and of Black madness, repeatedly and simultaneously. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eEarly Black writings reflect how a Black Atlantic world, organized by slavery, refused to acknowledge Black competence. By including scenes of Black madness, these narratives critique the violence of the law and predict the failure of future legal counterparts, such as \u003ci\u003ePlessy v. Ferguson\u003c\/i\u003e, to remedy injustice. Later chapters examine the works of more contemporary writers, such as Sutton E. Griggs, George Schuyler, Toni Morrison, and Edward P. Jones, and explore varied topics from American exceptionalism to the legal trope of \"colorblindness.\" In chronicling these interactions with jurisprudential logics, \u003ci\u003eSee Justice Done \u003c\/i\u003ereveals the tensions between US law and Black experiences of both its possibilities and its perils.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eChristopher Michael Brown\u003c\/b\u003e is assistant professor of English at Wake Forest University, where he teaches courses on African American literature and legal culture. His research has been supported by fellowships from the American Council of Learned Societies and the Ford Foundation.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 195\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.48 x 9 x 6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e January 18, 2024\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51779413573920,"sku":"9781496848208","price":63.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/21a3fde2b4785a0b5d0596f0185e1e56.webp?v=1780516838","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/see-justice-done-the-problem-of-law-in-the-african-american-literary-tradition-paperback","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}