The Nation of Islam and Black Consciousness

Ammar Abduh Aqeeli

The Nation of Islam
and Black Consciousness

The Works of Amiri Baraka,
Sonia Sanchez, and Other Writers

PETER LANG
New York • Bern • Berlin
Brussels • Vienna • Oxford • Warsaw

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Aqeeli, Ammar Abduh, author.

Title: The Nation of Islam and black consciousness: the works of

Amiri Bakara, Sonia Sanchez, and other writers / Ammar Abduh Aqeeli.

Description: New York: Peter Lang, 2019.

Series: Modern American literature: new approaches; vol. 73 | ISSN 1078-0521

Includes bibliographical references.

Identifiers: LCCN 2019004922 | ISBN 978-1-4331-6530-6 (hardback: alk. paper)

ISBN 978-1-4331-6531-3 (ebook pdf) | ISBN 978-1-4331-6532-0 (epub)

ISBN 978-1-4331-6533-7 (mobi)

Subjects: LCSH: American literature—African American authors—History and criticism.

African American authors—Political and social views.

American literature—20th century—History and criticism. | Black Arts movement.

Baraka, Amiri, 1934–2014—Political and social views.

Sanchez, Sonia, 1934– —Political and social views.

Nation of Islam (Chicago, Ill.)—Influence.

Classification: LCC PS153.N5 A83 2019 | DDC 810.9/896073—dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019004922

DOI 10.3726/b15046

Bibliographic information published by Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek.
Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the “Deutsche
Nationalbibliografie”; detailed bibliographic data is available
on the Internet at http://dnb.d-nb.de/.

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All rights reserved.

Reprint or reproduction, even partially, in all forms such as microfilm,
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About the author

Ammar Abduh Aqeeli received his PhD in literature from Kent State University. He currently works as an assistant professor at Jazan University in Saudi Arabia.

About the book

The Nation of Islam and Black Consciousness: The Works of Amiri Baraka, Sonia Sanchez, and Other Writers engages in the scholarly discussions about the origins and formation of the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and 1970s, which rarely give credit to the role of the Nation of Islam’s (NOI) teachings in the emergence of the movement and in shaping the subjects and themes of its literary works. This book reevaluates the common belief that Malcolm X is the most appealing black historical figure in the movement’s literature and demonstrates how the NOI’s perception of black consciousness shaped the aesthetic sensibilities of the movement’s poets and playwrights in their fights against anti-black racism. The Nation of Islam and Black Consciousness can be used in African American literature courses as it provides a thorough analysis of hidden literary texts written by black writers in the 1960s and 1970s. Reading this book today will help readers reflect on how a narrow understanding of “Americanness” is threatening to the American ideals of diversity and inclusiveness on which America was founded. Moreover, this book is useful for those who are interested in studying how identity politics functions to achieve certain social and cultural goals.

This eBook can be cited

This edition of the eBook can be cited. To enable this we have marked the start and end of a page. In cases where a word straddles a page break, the marker is placed inside the word at exactly the same position as in the physical book. This means that occasionally a word might be bifurcated by this marker.

Contents

Chapter 0Acknowledgments

Chapter 0Introduction

Chapter 1 Amiri Baraka: The Development of an Artist Black Consciousness

Chapter 2 Amiri Baraka and the Rise of the Black Arts Movement

Chapter 3 Sonia Sanchez: The Woman Role to Restore Positive Black Consciousness

Chapter 4 Black Consciousness: A Means Toward Sociopolitical Reform

Chapter 0Conclusion←v | vi→ ←vi | vii→

Acknowledgments

I am deeply thankful to my family for their love, support, and sacrifices. My beloved parents were giving me moral support while I was writing this book, for which I will be eternally grateful. My dear wife, Shymaa, has always been there for me, providing counseling in situations where I had lost hope. She has encouraged me to overcome the obstacles that I faced during my research. She has been a good teacher and a friend. My children have provided spiritual support for my book. They have prayed for me and have consoled me when I was depressed.←vii | viii→ ←viii | 1→