Black Feminism and Traumatic Legacies in Contemporary African American Literature

Using the crooked room theory from Melissa Harris-Perry’s Sister Citizen (2011), the author argues that the traumatic legacy of slavery is the “crooked room” that African Americans, especially Black women, are forced to navigate to facilitate healing. Much like trauma, healing is not a linear concept, and healing is more about reclaiming oneself in the aftermath of traumatic experiences. Overall, this book employs an analysis of select African American novels and applies trauma studies and Black Feminist Studies to explain the significance of trauma and traumatic experiences that stem from slavery and how this advances scholarly discussions about African American literature. An intersectional approach facilitated by Black Feminist Studies is pivotal for uplifting the traumatic experiences of African Americans, especially women, that does justice to their specific histories. Although slavery is pushed out of public awareness because of people who are uncomfortable with confronting slavery’s traumatic magnitude on the Black community, African American literature is not removed from discussing past and present traumas that are pervasive in the Black community.