African, American: From Tarzan to Dreams From My Father ђ́أ Africa in the US Imagination

From the Edenic wilderness of Edgar Rice Burroughs’s Tarzan novels to Marcus Garvey’s Back to Africa movement, Africa has gripped the imaginations of Americans, white or black, male or female. But why is this? In, David Peterson del Mar uncovers the answer, exploring the ways in which American fantasies of Africa have evolved over time and how Africans themselves have played a role in subverting American attitudes toward the continent. In this remarkable, panoramic work, Peterson del Mar draws on a wide range of sources from literature, film, and music, in addition to accounts by missionaries, aid workers, and travel writers, incorporating pop culture references as well as historical perspectives from Ernest Hemingway to Richard Wright, from theto the, in order to trace our continued fascination with Africa. The book spans several decades, beginning in the postwar period and continuing to the present, addressing such topical events as American responses to the Ebola crisis and reactions to Obama’s Kenyan roots, and it compares white and African American views on Africa, looking at how they have changed in light of the increased prominence enjoyed by African writers in America, including Teju Cole and Chimamanda Adichie.All together,provides a fascinating deconstruction of the idea of Africa as it exists in the American mind. Africa has long gripped the American imagination. From the Edenic wilderness of Edgar Rice Burroughs's Tarzan novels to the 'black Zion' of Garvey's Back-to-Africa movement, all manner of Americans - whether white or black, male or female - have come to see Africa as an idealized stage on which they can fashion new, more authentic selves. In this remarkable, panoramic work, David Peterson del Mar explores the ways in which American fantasies of Africa have evolved over time, as well as the role of Africans themselves in subverting American attitudes to their continent. Spanning seven decades, from the post-war period to the present day, and encompassing sources ranging from literature, film and music to accounts by missionaries, aid workers and travel writers, African, American is a fascinating deconstruction of 'Africa' as it exists in the American mindset. Preface : 'Africa in my head' -- 'Brightest Africa' in the early twentieth century -- Post-war America and the 'new Africa' -- From political to personal : white and black America confront a transformed continent -- Gendered American quests in 'timeless Africa' -- Africa cosmopolitan in the new millennium -- Conclusion : the in between A panoramic account of the role Africa has played in the American psyche, covering books, movies, music and more.