Identifying Roots (Paperback)

Richard Newton

ISBN 10: 1781795479 / ISBN 13: 9781781795477

Published by Equinox Publishing Ltd, London, 2020

About this Item

Paperback. This volume presents a cultural history of Alex Haleys Roots, examining the strategy and tactics Haley employed in developing a family origin story into an acclaimed national history. More than an investigation into Alex Haleys legacy, Identifying Roots unearths the politics of beginnings and belongings. While we all come from somewhere, this book examines the terms on which our roots can work as a tradition to embrace rather than a past to leave behind. And it investigates why some of the texts we read also seem to read us back.Identifying Roots invites readers to reimagine the way we tell stories. A provocative study that draws upon Black studies, the history of religions, and anthropology, the book underscores the social drama and dynamics that define our scriptures. Nimbly moving between the stories of Alex Haley, his characters, and the world that received them, Newton reminds us that our roots are stories of consequence. This volume presents a cultural history of Alex Haleys Roots, examining the strategy and tactics Haley employed in developing a family origin story into an acclaimed national history. Shipping may be from our Sydney, NSW warehouse or from our UK or US warehouse, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9781781795477

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Identifying Roots (Paperback)
• Publisher: Equinox Publishing Ltd, London
• Publication Date: 2020
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1781795479
• ISBN 13: 9781781795477
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

This volume presents a cultural history of Alex Haley's Roots as a case study in 'operational acts of identification.' It examines the strategy and tactics Haley employed in developing a family origin story into an acclaimed national history. Where cultural studies scholars have critiqued notions of sacrosanct 'rootedness,' this book shows the fruit of critically identifying those claims. It reframes the concept of 'roots' as a theoretical vocabulary and grammar for the anthropology of scriptures - a way of parsing the cultural texts that seem to read us back. Identifying Roots invites scholars of religion to reimagine their place in the humans sciences. Theorizing from a tradition of African American interventions in the history of religion, Richard Newton registers the social dramas and dynamic rhetoric that render the cultural logic of scriptures powerful. Creatively marshaling intellectual history, ethnographic autobiography, Close Reading and discourse analysis, Newton enumerates the consequences for signifying people and cultural texts as intrinsically significant. More than an investigation into Alex Haley's legacy, Identifying Roots unearths the politics of beginnings and belongings.

About the Author

Richard W. Newton, Jr. is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Alabama.