Building Houses out of Chicken Legs

Black Women, Food, and Power

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Cultural Studies, African-American Studies, Gender Studies, Women&, Anthropology
Cover of the book Building Houses out of Chicken Legs by Psyche A. Williams-Forson, The University of North Carolina Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Psyche A. Williams-Forson ISBN: 9780807877357
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press Publication: December 8, 2006
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press Language: English
Author: Psyche A. Williams-Forson
ISBN: 9780807877357
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
Publication: December 8, 2006
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press
Language: English

Chicken--both the bird and the food--has played multiple roles in the lives of African American women from the slavery era to the present. It has provided food and a source of income for their families, shaped a distinctive culture, and helped women define and exert themselves in racist and hostile environments. Psyche A. Williams-Forson examines the complexity of black women's legacies using food as a form of cultural work. While acknowledging the negative interpretations of black culture associated with chicken imagery, Williams-Forson focuses her analysis on the ways black women have forged their own self-definitions and relationships to the "gospel bird."

Exploring material ranging from personal interviews to the comedy of Chris Rock, from commercial advertisements to the art of Kara Walker, and from cookbooks to literature, Williams-Forson considers how black women arrive at degrees of self-definition and self-reliance using certain foods. She demonstrates how they defy conventional representations of blackness and exercise influence through food preparation and distribution. Understanding these complex relationships clarifies how present associations of blacks and chicken are rooted in a past that is fraught with both racism and agency. The traditions and practices of feminism, Williams-Forson argues, are inherent in the foods women prepare and serve.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Chicken--both the bird and the food--has played multiple roles in the lives of African American women from the slavery era to the present. It has provided food and a source of income for their families, shaped a distinctive culture, and helped women define and exert themselves in racist and hostile environments. Psyche A. Williams-Forson examines the complexity of black women's legacies using food as a form of cultural work. While acknowledging the negative interpretations of black culture associated with chicken imagery, Williams-Forson focuses her analysis on the ways black women have forged their own self-definitions and relationships to the "gospel bird."

Exploring material ranging from personal interviews to the comedy of Chris Rock, from commercial advertisements to the art of Kara Walker, and from cookbooks to literature, Williams-Forson considers how black women arrive at degrees of self-definition and self-reliance using certain foods. She demonstrates how they defy conventional representations of blackness and exercise influence through food preparation and distribution. Understanding these complex relationships clarifies how present associations of blacks and chicken are rooted in a past that is fraught with both racism and agency. The traditions and practices of feminism, Williams-Forson argues, are inherent in the foods women prepare and serve.

More books from The University of North Carolina Press

Cover of the book Real Native Genius by Psyche A. Williams-Forson
Cover of the book Pecans by Psyche A. Williams-Forson
Cover of the book Modernization as Ideology by Psyche A. Williams-Forson
Cover of the book Mastered by the Clock by Psyche A. Williams-Forson
Cover of the book Rum, Romanism, and Rebellion by Psyche A. Williams-Forson
Cover of the book Richard S. Ewell by Psyche A. Williams-Forson
Cover of the book Tradition, Treme, and the New Orleans Renaissance: Lolis Eric Elie interviewed by Sara B. Franklin by Psyche A. Williams-Forson
Cover of the book A Blessed Company by Psyche A. Williams-Forson
Cover of the book The Experiential Caribbean by Psyche A. Williams-Forson
Cover of the book Geographies of Liberation by Psyche A. Williams-Forson
Cover of the book Character Is Capital by Psyche A. Williams-Forson
Cover of the book The Enemy's House Divided by Psyche A. Williams-Forson
Cover of the book Schools in Transition by Psyche A. Williams-Forson
Cover of the book Israel and the Western Powers, 1952-1960 by Psyche A. Williams-Forson
Cover of the book Remembering the Modoc War by Psyche A. Williams-Forson
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy