Black Movements

This study looks at how contemporary performers, writers and organizers draw on earlier Black freedom struggles when they picture and build a democracy that is wider and more welcoming to everyone. Colbert treats Black movements as networks that connect people across geography and generations, so that a protest or performance today can echo a struggle from decades or centuries before.

The book contributes to several fields at once, including performance studies, literary studies, diaspora studies and American studies. It is written for scholars and advanced students interested in how cultural work and activism shape ideas of citizenship and belonging.