“Thinking From Black” Is a Glossary of Possibility
Artists, poets, and scholars mull over words of their choosing in this book, offering new definitions of phrases from which Blackness proliferates: “world,” “water,” “care.”
In 1979, renowned Barbadian poet and scholar Kamau Brathwaite delivered a speech at Harvard University, asserting that "The hurricane does not roar in pentameter." During this address, Brathwaite delved into the diasporic linguistics that permeate the Caribbean, highlighting the inadequacy of colonial English-language conventions to capture the archipelago's unique perspective.
His speech was later compiled into a comprehensive work titled "History of the Voice: The Development of Nation Language in Anglophone Caribbean Poetry" (1984). Brathwaite further defines "nation language" as an amalgamation of sonic and verbal elements that merge African influences into a creolized Caribbean language. This language, according to Brathwaite, is characterized by its raw intensity, reminiscent of howls, shouts, machine-guns, the wind, or waves, and even the blues.
Fast forward to 2026, and the collective known as the Practicing Refusal Collective has released a new work that draws inspiration from Brathwaite's thoughts. Edited by Tina Campt, Kaiama L. Glover, Canisia Lubrin, Tavia Nyong’o, Christina Sharpe, and Alexander Ghedi Weheliye, "Thinking From Black: A Lexicon" is a gathering of scholars, artists, poets, and historians from various disciplines.
The book's genesis stemmed from the collective's shared objective to broaden the critical discourse surrounding Black life. Rather than providing straightforward definitions, the entries within "Thinking From Black" serve as starting points for readers to ponder upon the multifaceted nature of Blackness across the globe. As a "diasporic glossary," the book aims to provoke contemplation about the tragedies, pleasures, ceremonies, and crises that affect Black communities worldwide.
Written by urgent.news from Hyperallergic's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
