Race and Urban Space in American Culture

Liam Kennedy author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Edinburgh University Press

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Race and Urban Space in American Culture cover

This innovative book looks at representations of ethnic and racial identities in relation to the development of urban culture in postindustrialised American cities. The concept of 'urban space' organises the detailed illustration of a series of themes which structure chapters on white paranoia and urban decline; memories of urban passage; the racialised underclass; urban crime and justice; and globalisation and citizenship. The book focuses on a range of literary and visual forms including novels, journalism, films (narrative and documentary) and photography to examine the relationship between race and representation in the production of urban space. Texts analysed include writings by Tom Wolfe (The Bonfire of the Vanities), Toni Morrison (Jazz), John Edgar Wildeman (Philadelphia Fire) and Walter Mosley (Devil in a Blue Dress). Films covered include Falling Down, Strange Days, Hoop Dreams and Clockers. Provocative and absorbing, this interdisciplinary treatment of urban representations engages contemporary theoretical and sociological debates about race and the city. Issues of space and spatiality in representations of the city are explored and the author shows how expressive forms of literary and visual representation interact with broader productions of urban space.

As a work of textual criticism, Kennedy's book is a success. He gives us enough in formation to capture the flavour of the books or movies! I finished with a desire to visit or revisit the works that [he] discusses! Kennedy's efforts are greatly appreciated. His book clearly fills a gap by examining how popular narratives have represented the inner-city ghetto and how these images shape our perspectives of race and urban life. As a work of textual criticism, Kennedy's book is a success. He gives us enough in formation to capture the flavour of the books or movies! I finished with a desire to visit or revisit the works that [he] discusses! Kennedy's efforts are greatly appreciated. His book clearly fills a gap by examining how popular narratives have represented the inner-city ghetto and how these images shape our perspectives of race and urban life.

ISBN: 9780748609697

Dimensions: 234mm x 156mm x 24mm

Weight: 438g

224 pages