What was the cultural legacy of enslaved Africans in the American South, and how has that legacy been handed through generations?

For author Deirdre Foreman, this question is a very personal one: in this book, she explores the cultural legacy of enslaved Africans in the American South through an ethno-autobiographical reflection on her own African-American identity and family heritage. Through storytelling and personal narratives, the author describes her family’s cultural practices and how they are directly rooted in those of the enslaved Africans on the southern plantations. Known as “cultural survivors,” enslaved Africans established cultural customs and norms out of resistance to the control of white slaveholders to maintain their independence and pride.

Ideal reading for students of Black studies, African American studies, Africana studies, and related courses, this autoethnography humanizes and personalizes concepts that are crucial to the understanding of Black culture and Black history.

Deirdre Foreman PhD is Adjunct Professor of Africana Studies and Social Science, and Associate Director of the Educational Opportunity Fund program at Ramapo College of New Jersey. An anti-racist trainer and diversity consultant, Foreman is also a visiting lecturer and speaker at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi, Ghana; past President of Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) Manhattan Branch; and a member of both the Association for the Study of the Worldwide Diaspora (ASWAD) and the Diopian Institute for Scholarly Advancement (DIOP).

All are invited to a related seminar in our Topics in Black Studies series:

The Cultural Legacy of Slavery: A Reflection on African American Identity and Family Heritage

This seminar features LPP author Deirdre Foreman, who explores the cultural legacy of enslaved Africans in the American South through an ethnoautobiographical reflection of her own African American identity and family heritage. Through storytelling and personal narratives, she describes her family’s cultural practices and how they are directly rooted in those of the enslaved African on the Southern Plantation. She will be interviewed by Dr. Chris McAuley, the Black Studies Collection Editor  at Lived Places Publishing. 

Session Details: June 20, 2024 at 12-1 pm ET >> REGISTER HERE

THIS SESSION IS FREE AND OPEN TO ALL WHO WISH TO ATTEND