Cultural Memories of Origin ─ Trauma, Memory and Imagery in African American Narratives of the Middle Passage

This dissertation explores the Middle Passage (the route of slave ships carrying human cargo across the Atlantic Ocean) as an involuntary migratory movement and considers how artistic and literary representations of the Middle Passage have created and later challenged the narrative of African American identity. The study analyzes the cultural production and cultural memory of the Middle Passage from the Black Arts Movement that began in the mid-1960s, up to the beginning of the 21st century. The opening chapter demonstrates the usefulness of the analytical term ‘trauma’ for studying the Middle Passage’s impact on racial identity, cultural memory, and cultural trauma. Works discussed in the rest of the study include Toni Morrison’s novel Beloved, Olaudah Equiano’s The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Amiri Baraka’s stage pageant Slave Ship, and the illustrations of African American artist Tom Feelings in the book The Middle Passage: White Ships / Black Cargo. B&w historical illustrations are included. Annotation ©2018 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)