audiobook W. E. B. Du Bois: An American Intellectual and Activist (Library of African American Biography) by Shawn Leigh Alexander in History

Description

In the 1960s; the city of Halifax razed the black community of Africville under a program of urban renewal and 'slum clearance.' The city defended its actions by citing the deplorable living conditions in Africville; ignoring its own role in the creation of these conditions through years of neglect and the refusal of essential services. In the 1980s; the city created a park on Africville's former site; which has been a place of protest and commemoration for black citizens since its opening. As yet; however; the city has not issued a formal apology to Africville residents and has paid no further compensation.Razing Africville examines this history as the prolonged eviction of a community from its own space. By examining a variety of sources - urban planning texts; city council documents; news media; and academic accounts - Jennifer J. Nelson illustrates how Africville went from a slum to a problem to be solved and; more recently; to a public space in which past violence is rendered invisible. Reading historical texts as a critical map of decision-making; she argues that the ongoing measures taken to regulate black bodies and spaces amount to a 'geography of racism.' Through a geographic lens; therefore; she manages to analyse ways in which race requires space and how the control of space is a necessary component of delineating and controlling people.A much needed re-examination of an important historical example; Razing Africville applies contemporary spatial theory to the situation in Africville and offers critical observations about the function of racism.