Date of Award
Spring 5-2014
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.A.
Degree Program
English
Department
English
Major Professor
Bryant, Earle
Second Advisor
Osundare, Oluwaniyi
Third Advisor
Hazlett, John
Abstract
Perpetuating African ancestral customs, Mardi Gras Indians in New Orleans avoid the African American identity crises illuminated by the poetry of the Harlem Renaissance. The poetry of Langston Hughes, Claude McKay and Waring Cuney incorporate W.E.B. DuBois’ double-consciousness theory to reveal the identity issues and ancestral alienation plaguing African Americans at the turn of the twentieth-century. In comparison, unique political and social circumstances in New Orleans allowed enslaved Africans to practice their ancestral customs weekly. The preservation of this heritage fostered a black community in New Orleans rich in traditions, pride and self-conviction. The development of Mardi Gras Indian culture and the allusions to Africa in Harlem poetry reveal the power of ancestry to establish identity.
Recommended Citation
Gibbs, Andrew B., "Don’t Bow Down" (2014). University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations. 1801.
https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/1801
Included in
African American Studies Commons, African Languages and Societies Commons, American Literature Commons, American Material Culture Commons, Cultural History Commons, Modern Literature Commons, Other American Studies Commons
Rights
The University of New Orleans and its agents retain the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible this dissertation or thesis in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. The author retains all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis or dissertation.