Bessie, Beyoncé, and 20th Century Black Women Performers
ENGL 570.401
also offered as: AFRC 570
instructor(s):
Thursday 6:00-9:00
ENGL 570.401: Bessie, Beyoncé, and 20th Century Black Women Performers
African American women performers from blues woman Bessie Smith to Paris revue star Josephine Baker, from jazz darling Billie Holiday to rock legend Tina Turner, and from hip hop giant Lauryn Hill to millennial star Beyoncé, have constantly redefined and expanded American popular music. Using the long 20th century as our historical marker, this course will explore how African American women performers, across genres and time, have consciously and sometimes contradictorily navigated the racial and sexual limits of American popular culture in order to assert their own particular narratives of artistic and political freedom.
fulfills requirements
last updated: October 15, 2015 - 11:06am