African Americans and the Classics: Antiquity, Abolition and Activism (Library of Classical Studies)

where she is also the S.P. and Margaret Manasse Research Chair in the College of Arts and Sciences. She is the author of the acclaimed book Ancient Rome and Modern America (2009) and her articles have appeared in the scholarly collections African Athena (2012) and Ancient Slavery and Abolition (2011). 'Th is is the book that historians of classical reception in America have been awaiting for decades. Th e fi rst book regarding African Americans' relationship with the Greco-Roman classics that spans the fi rst century and a half of the United States, its meticulous research and clear writing set the bar high for all future studies. Th e author of Ancient Rome and Modern America has written another classic' . ## Carl J. Richard, Professor of History, University of Louisiana at Lafayette 'Malamud adds to our understanding of the vital, enduring infl uence of classical literature on the American experience with particular attention to abolitionist thought and the intellectual aspirations of African Americans of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Her sensitive account acknowledges the ethical and political challenges involved in the African American pursuit of classical knowledge. Of particular interest is her insight into the role Egypt played in opening up ways to celebrate African identity' . ## Joy Connolly, Provost and Professor of Classics, CUNY Graduate Center, New York 'Th is wonderful book off ers an insightful account of African American engagement with classical Greece and Rome. As the author says, readers will be startled by the breadth and intensity of the engagement with Classics among African Americans. Th e classical texts were used in struggles over abolition, racism, and civil rights as well as in a variety of other contexts. Margaret Malamud's knowledge of the material is precise and impressive, her prose lucid and hard-hitting. She shows how much there is to learn from the role that Classics has played in African American history and culture' . "A new wave of research in black classicism has emerged in the 21st century that explores the role played by the classics in the larger cultural traditions of black America, Africa and the Caribbean. Addressing a gap in this scholarship, Margaret Malamud investigates why and how advocates for abolition and black civil rights (both black and white) deployed their knowledge of classical literature and history in their struggle for black liberty and equality in the United States. African Americans boldly staked their own claims to the classical world: they deployed texts, ideas and images of ancient Greece, Rome and Egypt in order to establish their authority in debates about slavery, race, politics and education. A central argument of this book is that knowledge and deployment of Classics was a powerful weapon and tool for resistance-as improbable as that might seem now-when wielded by black and white activists committed to the abolition of slavery and the end of the social and economic oppression of free blacks. The book significantly expands our understanding of both black history and classical reception in the United States."--Bloomsbury Publishing. "A new wave of research in black classicism has emerged in the 21st century that explores the role played by the classics in the larger cultural traditions of black America, Africa and the Caribbean. Addressing a gap in this scholarship, Margaret Malamud investigates why and how advocates for abolition and black civil rights (both black and white) deployed their knowledge of classical literature and history in their struggle for black liberty and equality in the United States. African Americans boldly staked their own claims to the classical world: they deployed texts, ideas and images of ancient Greece, Rome and Egypt in order to establish their authority in debates about slavery, race, politics and education. A central argument of this book is that knowledge and deployment of Classics was a powerful weapon and tool for resistance--as improbable as that might seem now--when wielded by black and white activists committed to the abolition of slavery and the end of the social and economic oppression of free blacks. The book significantly expands our understanding of both black history and classical reception in the United States."--Amazon.com Cover Title Copyright Dedication Contents List of Illustrations Acknowledgements Introduction 1. Fighting for Classics 2. Figuring Classical Resistance 3. Ancient and Modern Slavery 4. Constructing History Afterword Notes Bibliography Index