The historical novels of Manuel Zapata Olivella and Ana Maria GonCalves map black journeys from Africa to the Americas in a way that challenges the Black Atlantic paradigm that has become synonymous with cosmopolitan African diaspora studies. Unlike Paul Gilroy, who coined the term and based it on W.E.B. DuBois's double consciousness, Zapata, in ChangO el gran putas (1983), creates an empowering mythology that reframes black resistance in Colombia, Haiti, Mexico, Brazil, and the United States. In Um defeito de cor (2006), GonCalves imagines the survival strategies of a legendary woman said to be the mother of black abolitionist poet LuIs Gama and a conspirator in an African Muslim-led revolt in Brazil's 'Black Rome.' These novels show differing visions of revolution, black community, femininity, sexuality, and captivity. They skillfully reveal how events preceding the UNESCO Decade of Afro-Descent (2015-2024) alter our understanding of Afro-Latin America as it gains increased visibility.
Industry Reviews
"Maddox offers us a refreshingly provocative revision of Black Atlantic theory and African diasporic authorship across Luso-Hispanic communities. His insightful readings will further enrich our understanding of the complex and nonlinear facets of African diasporic Blackness, Black Atlantic religious traditions, and Black women in impactful, new ways." -- Nick Jones * author of Staging Habla de Negros *
"John Maddox's Challenging the Black Atlantic is as monumental as the historical sagas the book studies. . . . Originally conceived, meticulously researched, and well written and argued, the book is an intellectually sophisticated interdisciplinary study that will certainly leave its vital mark in the field of Afro-diaspora studies for years to come. A must read!" -- Emanuelle Oliveira-Monte * author of Writing Identity: The Politics of Contemporary Afro-Brazilian Literature *
"An innovative and ground-breaking attempt to examine the nuances of the Black Atlantic Theory via diaspora...highly recommended for a variety of audiences." * Hispania *
"Maddox succeeds in adding to the Black Atlantic paradigm, taking it in a decidedly Latin-American direction. At the center of his theoretical intervention, he compellingly offers Zapata's version of the Nuevo Munto as a foundational construct-a search for a profoundly historical and spiritual recognition of African identity, and a vision of just world for the present and future." * Religion and the Arts *
"Maddox offers us a refreshingly provocative revision of Black Atlantic theory and African diasporic authorship across Luso-Hispanic communities. His insightful readings will further enrich our understanding of the complex and nonlinear facets of African diasporic Blackness, Black Atlantic religious traditions, and Black women in impactful, new ways." -- Nick Jones * author of Staging Habla de Negros *
"John Maddox's Challenging the Black Atlantic is as monumental as the historical sagas the book studies. . . . Originally conceived, meticulously researched, and well written and argued, the book is an intellectually sophisticated interdisciplinary study that will certainly leave its vital mark in the field of Afro-diaspora studies for years to come. A must read!" -- Emanuelle Oliveira-Monte * author of Writing Identity: The Politics of Contemporary Afro-Brazilian Literature *
"An innovative and ground-breaking attempt to examine the nuances of the Black Atlantic Theory via diaspora...highly recommended for a variety of audiences." * Hispania *
"Maddox succeeds in adding to the Black Atlantic paradigm, taking it in a decidedly Latin-American direction. At the center of his theoretical intervention, he compellingly offers Zapata's version of the Nuevo Munto as a foundational construct-a search for a profoundly historical and spiritual recognition of African identity, and a vision of just world for the present and future." * Religion and the Arts *
