Afro-Cubanism is a movement in Caribbean arts and letters that stemmed from a rediscovery of the region's African heritage during the 1920s and to some extent paralleled the Harlem Renaissance in the United States. Thus the movement was not an isolated fad but the result of a long-standing tradition. Intended for both scholars of Latin American literature and specialists in ethnic studies, this book traces the development of Afro-Cubanism from its origins in medieval Spain to its highest expression in the 1930s. Each chapter offers a close reading of a major text that represents a moment...

Melvin B. Tolson (1898-1966) was both a participant in and historian of the Harlem Renaissance, probably the most significant movement in African American literature and culture. Known mostly for his poetry, and an unduly neglected figure in American literary history, Tolson was one of the first African American critics of the Harlem Renaissance. This book is an edition of his 1940 MA thesis, the first academic study of the Harlem Renaissance written by an African American scholar. Tolson's thesis, previously unpublished in its entirety, provides a unique look at this important era and...