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No Definite Destination: Transnational Liminality in Harlem Renaissance Lives and Writings

Murray, Joshua M
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1461257721

Abstract Details

2016, PHD, Kent State University, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of English.
With an increased interest in the literature of the African Diaspora, scholars have concurrently begun to call upon theories of transnationalism. This joint emphasis has created a critical discussion of the significance of global studies in examinations of modern black identity. One aspect that remains unexamined is the impetus for transnational transition that arises at the crossroads of race and self-identity. This dissertation addresses this gap through the concept of liminality, which refers to an in-between state characterized by marginalization and figurative homelessness. The presence of a perpetual liminality frequently leads to geographical relocation, often transnational in nature, as liminal subjects attempt to discover a place where their self-identity will not result in compromise or tragedy. The Harlem Renaissance presents a microcosm wherein writers frequently traveled internationally and incorporated these dynamics and themes in their literature. The theory of transnational liminality thereby provides a critical lens for underscoring the significance and necessity of a global understanding of the Harlem Renaissance—specifically the fictional and autobiographical writings of Claude McKay, Nella Larsen, Jessie Redmon Fauset, and Langston Hughes. These texts demonstrate the intellectuals’ irrevocable challenge of racist milieus of the early twentieth century. Therefore, Harlem Renaissance writers and their protagonists looked to a transnational world in their quest for self-identity and home. In a similar vein, liminality is central to the study of Black Transnationalism in the twenty-first century, as contemporary writings of the African Diaspora continue to use international travel as an essential tool highlighting disillusionment in modernity’s ability to eradicate racism and the ubiquitous quest for home. The lens of transnational liminality offers a cultural theory capable of illuminating and addressing these recurring concerns.
Babacar M'Baye (Advisor)
217 p.
African American Studies; American Literature; Black Studies; Ethnic Studies; Literature
transnationalism; liminality; Harlem Renaissance; African Diaspora; African American literature; fiction; autobiography; life writing

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Murray, J. M. (2016). No Definite Destination: Transnational Liminality in Harlem Renaissance Lives and Writings [Doctoral dissertation, Kent State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1461257721

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Murray, Joshua. No Definite Destination: Transnational Liminality in Harlem Renaissance Lives and Writings. 2016. Kent State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1461257721.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Murray, Joshua. "No Definite Destination: Transnational Liminality in Harlem Renaissance Lives and Writings." Doctoral dissertation, Kent State University, 2016. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1461257721

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

kent1461257721
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© 2016, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Kent State University and OhioLINK.