Shakespeare and Race [Hardcover]

Imtiaz Habib (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 8, 1999 | ISBN-10: 0761815457 | ISBN-13: 978-0761815457

Shakespeare and Race is a provocative new study that reveals a connection between the subject of race in Shakespeare and the advent of early English colonialism. Citing generally neglected archival evidence, Imtiaz Habib argues that a small population of captured Indians and Africans brought to England during the 16th century provided the impetus for Elizabethan constructions of race rather than existing European traditions in which blackness was represented metaphorically. He explores Tudor and Stuart dramatic representations of black characters, focusing specifically on how race affected Shakespeare personally and historically over the course of his career. Using postcolonial paradigms combined with neo-Marxist, feminist, and psychoanalytic insights, Habib discusses the possible existence of a black woman that Shakespeare knew and wrote about in his Sonnets and examines the design of his black male characters, including Aaron, Othello, and Caliban. Shakespeare and Race represents a significant contribution that will fascinate scholars of literature as well as those interested in the cultural impact of colonialism.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Thanks to some sustained thinking along several lines, Habib has arrived at solid and illuminating readings of the Shakespearean texts.>>>> (Rachana Sachdev Shakespeare And Race )

The study of race, ethnicity, and identity in the early modern period is one of the most exciting areas of scholarship in the field today. Habib's volume engages meaningfully in this debate while simultaneously providing interested scholars with a welcome survey of previous work.>>> (Sixteenth Century Journal )

The study of race, ethnicity, and identity in the early modern period is one of the most exciting areas of scholarship in the field today. Habib's volume engages meaningfully in this debate while simultaneously providing interested scholars with a welcome survey of previous work. (Sixteenth Century Journal )

Thanks to some sustained thinking along several lines, Habib has arrived at solid and illuminating readings of the Shakespearean texts. (Rachana Sachdev Shakespeare And Race )

About the Author

Imtiaz Habib is Associate Professor of English at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 314 pages
• Publisher: University Press Of America (December 8, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761815457
• ISBN-13: 978-0761815457
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 1.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,560,080 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Shakespeare criticism: Again?, June 30, 2000

By 

George L. Granite (Nagoya, Japan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shakespeare and Race (Textbook Binding)

The book's title caught my attention. While Shakespeare seems to transcend time, criticism regarding his works does not. However, we are sometimes presented with intriguing points of view that are timely. Mr. Habib displays his extensive knowledge of postcolonial theory and, using a great deal of verbosity, effectively eliminates the desire to read past the first chapter. Mind you, I understood his main points, but reading such a text written in such a manner requires that one take a course in deciphering the English language.