Alain L. Locke: The Biography of a PhilosopherAlain L. Locke (1886-1954), in his famous 1925 anthology TheNew Negro, declared that “the pulse of the Negro world has begun to beat in Harlem.” Often called the father of the Harlem Renaissance, Locke had his finger directly on that pulse, promoting, influencing, and sparring with such figures as Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Jacob Lawrence, Richmond Barthé, William Grant Still, Booker T. Washington, W. E. B. Du Bois, Ralph Bunche, and John Dewey. The long-awaited first biography of this extraordinarily gifted philosopher and writer, Alain L. Locke narrates the untold story of his profound impact on twentieth-century America’s cultural and intellectual life. Leonard Harris and Charles Molesworth trace this story through Locke’s Philadelphia upbringing, his undergraduate years at Harvard—where William James helped spark his influential engagement with pragmatism—and his tenure as the first African American Rhodes Scholar. The heart of their narrative illuminates Locke’s heady years in 1920s New York City and his forty-year career at Howard University, where he helped spearhead the adult education movement of the 1930s and wrote on topics ranging from the philosophy of value to the theory of democracy. Harris and Molesworth show that throughout this illustrious career—despite a formal manner that many observers interpreted as elitist or distant—Locke remained a warm and effective teacher and mentor, as well as a fierce champion of literature and art as means of breaking down barriers between communities. The multifaceted portrait that emerges from this engaging account effectively reclaims Locke’s rightful place in the pantheon of America’s most important minds. |
From inside the book
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Page 3
... esthetic experience, however, is always in some ways communal and shared, and so creates its force as both an individual expression and a group record or testament. Art addressed these group identities and experiences even if it ...
... esthetic experience, however, is always in some ways communal and shared, and so creates its force as both an individual expression and a group record or testament. Art addressed these group identities and experiences even if it ...
Page 15
... esthetic effects, his willingness to serve in a leadership role if it is defined chiefly as making things clear to those who are being led. In many ways Locke's upbringing was what one might expect for those who have educators as ...
... esthetic effects, his willingness to serve in a leadership role if it is defined chiefly as making things clear to those who are being led. In many ways Locke's upbringing was what one might expect for those who have educators as ...
Page 24
The Biography of a Philosopher Leonard Harris, Charles Molesworth. criticism or esthetics. He writes about George ... esthetic sense and the use of art and cultural expression for social and political advancement would be one of the ...
The Biography of a Philosopher Leonard Harris, Charles Molesworth. criticism or esthetics. He writes about George ... esthetic sense and the use of art and cultural expression for social and political advancement would be one of the ...
Page 29
... esthetic contemplation and self-fulfillment. Mentioning that he was outgrowing some of his Philadelphia friends, Locke told his mother that he addressed a class devotional meeting on the topic, “Self Culture versus Service in University ...
... esthetic contemplation and self-fulfillment. Mentioning that he was outgrowing some of his Philadelphia friends, Locke told his mother that he addressed a class devotional meeting on the topic, “Self Culture versus Service in University ...
Page 30
... esthetic foundation, such as the brief union Locke formed with John Hall Wheelock, whose precocity extended to the publication of a small book of his poems while still an undergraduate. Eventually there developed a sense of rivalry with ...
... esthetic foundation, such as the brief union Locke formed with John Hall Wheelock, whose precocity extended to the publication of a small book of his poems while still an undergraduate. Eventually there developed a sense of rivalry with ...
Contents
1 | |
5 | |
28 | |
3 Oxford and Berlin | 59 |
The Early Years | 107 |
5 Howard and Beyond | 142 |
6 The Renaissance and the New Negro | 179 |
7 After The New Negro | 218 |
Sahdji to the Bronze Booklets | 251 |
9 The Educator at Work and at Large | 285 |
10 Theorizing Democracy | 328 |
11 The Final Years | 358 |
12 Lockes Legacy | 381 |
Notes | 391 |
Index | 419 |
Other editions - View all
Alain L. Locke: The Biography of a Philosopher Leonard Harris,Charles Molesworth No preview available - 2010 |
Alain L. Locke: The Biography of a Philosopher Leonard Harris,Charles Molesworth No preview available - 2008 |
Common terms and phrases
academic African American African art Alain Locke ALPHU appeared argued argument artistic attitude Berlin Bois’s called Claude McKay College color Cosmopolitan criticism Cullen cultural decades democracy Dickerman early especially essay esthetic eventually experience expression Fauset friends friendship Harlem Renaissance Harvard Howard University Hughes Hughes’s Hurston idea intellectual interest issue Johnson journal Kallen Kellogg Kelly Miller Langston Langston Hughes later lectures letter literary literature Locke felt Locke wrote Locke’s Mary Locke Mason McKay McKay’s Moorland-Spingarn Research Center mother Negro art novel one’s Oxford Philadelphia philosophy poems poet poetry political problem published question race racial racism Rhodes Rhodes Scholarship role Sahdji Schomburg School Seme sense social story Survey Graphic talent theory thought tion told Locke took Toomer tradition value theory values Vechten views W. E. B. Du Bois Washington writing year-end reviews York