In this sophisticated study of the struggle for African American human rights in America, Alessandra Lorini examines public events in New York City from the end of the Civil War through World War I, demonstrating how ritualized elements of black processions, parades, riots, and festivals made visible the inherent paradox of the -separate but equal- doctrine of the time. By examining these public events, Lorini dramatizes the quest for liberty and equality as a story of living forces, not abstract principles and legal maneuvers. Lorini defines public culture as a conflictual space in which...