{"product_id":"the-shadow-and-the-act-walton-m-muyumba-9780226554242","title":"The Shadow and the Act: Black Intellectual Practice, Jazz Improvisation, and Philosophical Pragmatism","description":"\u003cp\u003eThough often thought of as rivals, Ralph Ellison, James Baldwin, and Amiri Baraka shared a range of interests, especially a passion for music. Jazz, in particular, was a decisive influence on their thinking, and, as \u003ci\u003eThe Shadow and the Act\u003c\/i\u003e reveals, they drew on their insights into the creative process of improvisation to analyze race and politics in the civil rights era. In this inspired study, Walton M. Muyumba situates them as a jazz trio, demonstrating how Ellison, Baraka, and Baldwin's individual works form a series of calls and responses with each other. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMuyumba connects their writings on jazz to the philosophical tradition of pragmatism, particularly its support for more freedom for individuals and more democratic societies. He examines the way they responded to and elaborated on that lineage, showing how they significantly broadened it by addressing the African American experience, especially its aesthetics. Ultimately, Muyumba contends, the trio enacted pragmatist principles by effectively communicating the social and political benefits of African Americans fully entering society, thereby compelling America to move closer to its democratic ideals.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Walton M. Muyumba\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0226554244\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780226554242\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of Chicago Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 07\/01\/2009\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 232\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.60lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.30h x 5.50w x 0.50d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChronicle of Higher Education\u003c\/i\u003e 08\/07\/2009 pg. 17\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 11\/01\/2009","brand":"Walton M. Muyumba","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48086417015039,"sku":"9780226554242","price":30.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_815c25a1-bfa7-4c69-9c6a-db9cc2f6558d.jpg?v=1769094552","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-shadow-and-the-act-walton-m-muyumba-9780226554242","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}