Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments
Intimate Histories of Riotous Black Girls, Troublesome Women and Queer Radicals
(Author) Saidiya HartmanSHORTLISTED FOR A JAMES TAIT BLACK PRIZE 2020WINNER OF A NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARDWRTTEN BY THE RECIPIENT OF A MACARTHUR GENIUS GRANTAt the dawn of the twentieth century, black women in the US were carving out new ways of living. They refused to labour like slaves or to accept degrading conditions of work. Wrestling with the question of freedom, they invented forms of love and solidarity outside convention and law. These were the pioneers of free love, common-law and transient marriages, queer identities, and single motherhood - all deemed scandalous, even pathological, at the dawn of the 20th century, though they set the pattern for the world to come.In Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments, Saidiya Hartman deploys both radical scholarship and profound literary intelligence to examine the transformation of intimate life that they instigated. With visionary intensity, she conjures their worlds, their dilemmas, their defiant brilliance.
Saidiya Hartman
Saidiya Hartman is a renowned scholar and writer known for her innovative blend of historical research, critical theory, and creative writing. Her work focuses on the intersections of race, gender, and power, particularly in relation to the experiences of Black women in America.
Hartman's most notable work is "Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments: Intimate Histories of Social Upheaval," which explores the lives of Black women in early 20th century urban America. In this book, Hartman challenges traditional historical narratives and offers a more nuanced understanding of resistance, survival, and freedom.
Her writing style is lyrical and evocative, drawing on a range of sources including archival documents, literature, and personal narratives. Hartman's work has had a significant impact on the field of African American studies and feminist theory, pushing boundaries and reimagining what is possible in both academia and literature.
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