Overview
Stephen C. Ferguson II provides a philosophical examination of Black popular culture for the first time. From extensive discussion of the philosophy and political economy of Hip-Hop music through to a developed exploration of the influence of the postmodernism-poststructuralist ideology on African American studies, he argues how postmodernism ideology plays a seminal role in justifying the relationship between corporate capitalism and Black popular culture. Chapters cover topics such as cultural populism, capitalism and Black liberation, the philosophy of Hip-Hop music, and Harold Cruse’s influence on the “cultural turn” in African American studies. Ferguson combines case studies of past and contemporary Black cultural and intellectual productions with a Marxist ideological critique to provide a cutting edge reflection on the economic structure in which Black popular culture emerged. He highlights the contradictions that are central to the juxtaposition of Black cultural artists as political participants in socioeconomic struggle and the political participants who perform the rigorous task of social criticism. Adopting capitalism as an explanatory framework, Ferguson investigates the relationship between postmodernism as social theory, current manifestations of Black popular culture, and the theoretical work of Black thinkers and scholars to demonstrate how African American studies have been shaped.
Full Product Details
Author: Stephen Ferguson II (North Carolina State University, USA)
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Imprint: Bloomsbury Academic
ISBN: 9781350368941
ISBN 10: 1350368946
Pages: 256
Publication Date: 19 October 2023
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Manufactured on demand
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Reviews
The Paralysis of Analysis in African American Studies provides a searing critique of the role political economy and socially irresponsive cultural entrepreneurs play in stifling and under-developing African American culture simply for gain. Stephen C. Ferguson II's honest assessment takes no prisoners! A true must have for anyone interested in how cultural analysis should be done. * Anthony Neal, Beverly B. & Gordon W. Gulmon Humanities Scholar and Associate Professor of History, Mississippi State University, USA * Through sharp, rigorous, and careful analysis, Ferguson draws our attention back to an intellectual project rooted in struggle, one grounded in our radical each-otherness. Ferguson's dialectical approach does not direct us toward the doom of despair, but instead, he reminds us that balancing the truth of the current moment of danger with the limits of the tools and instruments of this world is the place of possibility and creativity. * Johari Jabir, Associate Professor, Department of Black Studies, University of Illinois, USA *
The Paralysis of Analysis in African American Studies provides a searing critique of the role political economy and socially irresponsive cultural entrepreneurs play in stifling and under-developing African American culture simply for gain. Stephen C. Ferguson II's honest assessment takes no prisoners! A true must have for anyone interested in how cultural analysis should be done. * Anthony Neal, Beverly B. & Gordon W. Gulmon Humanities Scholar and Associate Professor of History, Mississippi State University, USA *
Author Information
Stephen C. Ferguson II is Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at North Carolina State University, USA. He is co-author with John H. McClendon III of African American Philosophers and Philosophy (2019).
