Synopses & Reviews
From the subaltern assemblies of the enslaved in colonial New York City to the benevolent New York African Society of the early national era to the formation of the African Blood Brotherhood in twentieth century Harlem, voluntary associations have been a fixture of African-American communities.
In the Company of Black Men examines New York City over three centuries to show that enslaved Africans provided the institutional foundation upon which African-American religious, political, and social culture could flourish. Arguing that the universality of the voluntary tradition in African-American communities has its basis in collectivism—a behavioral and rhetorical tendency to privilege the group over the individual—it explores the institutions that arose as enslaved Africans exploited the potential for group action and mass resistance.
Craig Steven Wilders research is particularly exciting in its assertion that Africans entered the Americas equipped with intellectual traditions and sociological models that facilitated a communitarian response to oppression. Presenting a dramatic shift from previous work which has viewed African-American male associations as derivative and imitative of white male counterparts, In the Company of Black Men provides a ground-breaking template for investigating antebellum black institutions.
Review
“Wilder explores cultural expression with and through African societies in New York City. . . . He follows them from their origin, through their heyday, to their decline as capitalist culture overwhelmed the voluntary tradition.”
-Book News,
Review
“In the historiography on blacks in the colonial and antebellum periods, Craig Steven Wilder”s In the Company of Black Men stands out as one of the finest works of scholarship in the last decade.”
-Journal of American Ethnic History,
Review
“Though stony the road they trod, a small band of men developed and passed on an ethos of mutuality and collectivism brought from Africa. America owes a great debt to those men, and scholars owe a great debt to Craig Wilder, who has combined vast research and keen intelligence to tell their story. Wilder’s work will force a new look at a familiar landscape. Imagine—an African city at the base of the Hudson!”
“In this groundbreaking and superbly written work Craig Wilder provides a gendered and richly textured discussion of the African origins of black political consciousness and moral traditions in the United States. Through a skillful comparative discussion of African associations in North America, the Caribbean, Brazil and Africa he demonstrates the connections between African systems of values and beliefs, masculinity and the black public sphere. This book is essential reading in African American history, Diaspora studies and American studies.”
“A beautifully researched, subtly argued exploration of the moral and intellectual life of New York’s African American community in its first two hundred years. As Wilder shows how African societies provided a foundation for black religion, politics, and cultural institutions, he opens a new window on New York history. We hear the voice and aspirations of black New Yorkers as we have never heard them before. Written with verve, In the Company of Black Men repeatedly rewards its readers with fresh insights and provocative arguments that leaves one thinking long after it has been set aside.”
“Wilder explores cultural expression with and through African societies in New York City. . . . He follows them from their origin, through their heyday, to their decline as capitalist culture overwhelmed the voluntary tradition.”
“In the historiography on blacks in the colonial and antebellum periods, Craig Steven Wilder”s In the Company of Black Men stands out as one of the finest works of scholarship in the last decade.”
Review
“Increasingly, we must understand the production of structural disadvantage through a systems lens that focuses on the relationships between critical institutions rather than viewing them as distinct concerns. This incisive new work targets the interface between our K‒12 educational system and our juvenile and criminal justice systems with a fresh, unflinching account that is invaluable to lawyers, organizers and researchers alike.”
-John A. Powell,Executive Director of the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity and the Williams Chair in Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, Moritz College of Law, Ohio State University
Review
“Fills a much‒needed gap in the school‒to‒prison pipeline literature. There is very little information about legal strategies to interrupt the pipeline when you encounter reticent policy‒makers. This book provides just that, and covers all of the bases for doing so. As such, it is an invaluable resource for legal advocates working in the education and juvenile justice fields.”
-Randee J. Waldman,Barton Juvenile Defender Clinic, Emory Law
Review
"This startling book begins with the insight that criminal justice processes have come to dominate US social institutions...this useful, in-depth guide to education and juvenile justice reform would complement more sociological texts that explore cultural or societal aspects of the pipeline" -J.S. Montgomery,Choice
Synopsis
Traces the development of African-American community traditions over three centuries
From the subaltern assemblies of the enslaved in colonial New York City to the benevolent New York African Society of the early national era to the formation of the African Blood Brotherhood in twentieth century Harlem, voluntary associations have been a fixture of African-American communities.
In the Company of Black Men examines New York City over three centuries to show that enslaved Africans provided the institutional foundation upon which African-American religious, political, and social culture could flourish. Arguing that the universality of the voluntary tradition in African-American communities has its basis in collectivism--a behavioral and rhetorical tendency to privilege the group over the individual--it explores the institutions that arose as enslaved Africans exploited the potential for group action and mass resistance.
Craig Steven Wilder's research is particularly exciting in its assertion that Africans entered the Americas equipped with intellectual traditions and sociological models that facilitated a communitarian response to oppression. Presenting a dramatic shift from previous work which has viewed African-American male associations as derivative and imitative of white male counterparts, In the Company of Black Men provides a ground-breaking template for investigating antebellum black institutions.
Synopsis
From the subaltern assemblies of the enslaved in colonial New York City to the benevolent New York African Society of the early national era to the formation of the African Blood Brotherhood in twentieth century Harlem, voluntary associations have been a fixture of African-American communities.
In the Company of Black Men examines New York City over three centuries to show that enslaved Africans provided the institutional foundation upon which African-American religious, political, and social culture could flourish. Arguing that the universality of the voluntary tradition in African-American communities has its basis in collectivisma behavioral and rhetorical tendency to privilege the group over the individualit explores the institutions that arose as enslaved Africans exploited the potential for group action and mass resistance.
Craig Steven Wilder's research is particularly exciting in its assertion that Africans entered the Americas equipped with intellectual traditions and sociological models that facilitated a communitarian response to oppression. Presenting a dramatic shift from previous work which has viewed African-American male associations as derivative and imitative of white male counterparts, In the Company of Black Men provides a ground-breaking template for investigating antebellum black institutions.
About the Author
Catherine Y. Kim is a former attorney for the Racial Justice Program of the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation, National Legal Department. She currently teaches at the University of North Carolina School of Law at Chapel Hill.
Daniel J. Losenis a former lecturer at Harvard Law School and a senior education law and policy associate at The Civil Rights Project/Projecto Derechos Civiles at UCLA.
Damon T. Hewitt