Reviews
"In this meticulously researched and carefully crafted book, CarlaPeterson reconstructs the antebellum and postbellum careers of eleven blackactivist women who publicly endeavored to conceptualize a home for AfricanAmericans in the political economy of the United States. By resisting thecanonical privilege of the slave narrative and trans-historical notions of theblack aesthetic, Doers of the Word recovers the ways in which these womenexercised their contested agency in the civic arenas. Peterson reminds herreaders in stunning detail just how heterogeneous the black community was in thenineteenth century and continues to be at the approach of thetwenty-first."--Claudia Tate, George Washington University., "Peterson's book is pioneering. Unlike other literary critical discourses which can draw on long established traditions, Doers of the Word must define the very terms in which we think about African American women's texts. The brilliance and excitement of Peterson's book lie in its stunning originality and intellectual courage."--Elizabeth Ammons, Tufts University . "In this meticulously researched and carefully crafted book, Carla Peterson reconstructs the antebellum and postbellum careers of eleven black activist women who publicly endeavored to conceptualize a home for African Americans in the political economy of the United States. By resisting the canonical privilege of the slave narrative and trans-historical notions of the black aesthetic, Doers of the Word recovers the ways in which these women exercised their contested agency in the civic arenas. Peterson reminds her readers in stunning detail just how heterogeneous the black community was in the nineteenth century and continues to be at the approach of the twenty-first."--Claudia Tate, George Washington University . "Peterson's extensive and thorough analysis of these activist women's public adresses and writings is a fine work."-- American Literature "This is literary scolarship and historical inquiry of a high order. A brilliant and inspiring achievement."--Sterling Stuckey, University of California, Riverside ; author of Going Through the Storm and "ISlave Culture. Doers of the Word is an interesting, enlightening, and readable book..."-- Multicultural Review "...this valuable study adds significantly to our understanding of the contributions made by black women to racial uplift efforts in the North."-- Nineteenth-Century Literature, "Peterson's book is pioneering. Unlike other literary critical discourseswhich can draw on long established traditions, Doers of the Word must define thevery terms in which we think about African American women's texts. Thebrilliance and excitement of Peterson's book lie in its stunning originality andintellectual courage."--Elizabeth Ammons, Tufts University., "Peterson's book is pioneering. Unlike other literary critical discourses which can draw on long established traditions, Doers of the Word must define the very terms in which we think about African American women's texts. The brilliance and excitement of Peterson's book lie in its stunning originality and intellectual courage."--Elizabeth Ammons, Tufts University. "In this meticulously researched and carefully crafted book, Carla Peterson reconstructs the antebellum and postbellum careers of eleven black activist women who publicly endeavored to conceptualize a home for African Americans in the political economy of the United States. By resisting the canonical privilege of the slave narrative and trans-historical notions of the black aesthetic, Doers of the Word recovers the ways in which these women exercised their contested agency in the civic arenas. Peterson reminds her readers in stunning detail just how heterogeneous the black community was in the nineteenth century and continues to be at the approach of the twenty-first."--Claudia Tate, George Washington University. "Peterson's extensive and thorough analysis of these activist women's public adresses and writings is a fine work."--American Literature "This is literary scolarship and historical inquiry of a high order. A brilliant and inspiring achievement."--Sterling Stuckey, University of California, Riverside; author of Going Through the Storm and "ISlave Culture. Doers of the Word is an interesting, enlightening, and readable book..."--Multicultural Review "...this valuable study adds significantly to our understanding of the contributions made by black women to racial uplift efforts in the North."--Nineteenth-Century Literature, "...this valuable study adds significantly to our understanding of thecontributions made by black women to racial uplift efforts in theNorth."--Nineteenth-Century Literature, "This is literary scolarship and historical inquiry of a high order. A brilliant and inspiring achievement."--Sterling Stuckey, University of California, Riverside; author of Going Through the Storm and Slave Culture., "...an impressive and stunning achievement. Extensively researched and eloquently crafted, combining Foucaultian and feminist methologies, it will assuredly transform readers perceptions of the involvement of early African American women in struggles for civil, human, and women's rights. It isa text both inspired and inspiring."--Tulsa Studies in Women's Literature, "Peterson's book is pioneering. Unlike other literary critical discourses which can draw on long established traditions,Doers of the Wordmust define the very terms in which we think about African American women's texts. The brilliance and excitement of Peterson's book lie in its stunning originality and intellectual courage."--Elizabeth Ammons,Tufts University. "In this meticulously researched and carefully crafted book, Carla Peterson reconstructs the antebellum and postbellum careers of eleven black activist women who publicly endeavored to conceptualize a home for African Americans in the political economy of the United States. By resisting the canonical privilege of the slave narrative and trans-historical notions of the black aesthetic,Doers of the Wordrecovers the ways in which these women exercised their contested agency in the civic arenas. Peterson reminds her readers in stunning detail just how heterogeneous the black community was in the nineteenth century and continues to be at the approach of the twenty-first."--Claudia Tate,George Washington University. "Peterson's extensive and thorough analysis of these activist women's public adresses and writings is a fine work."--American Literature "This is literary scolarship and historical inquiry of a high order. A brilliant and inspiring achievement."--Sterling Stuckey,University of California, Riverside; author ofGoing Through the Stormand "ISlave Culture. Doers of the Wordis an interesting, enlightening, and readable book..."--Multicultural Review "...this valuable study adds significantly to our understanding of the contributions made by black women to racial uplift efforts in the North."--Nineteenth-Century Literature, "This is literary scolarship and historical inquiry of a high order. Abrilliant and inspiring achievement."--Sterling Stuckey, University ofCalifornia, Riverside; author of Going Through the Storm and SlaveCulture., "In this meticulously researched and carefully crafted book, Carla Peterson reconstructs the antebellum and postbellum careers of eleven black activist women who publicly endeavored to conceptualize a home for African Americans in the political economy of the United States. By resisting thecanonical privilege of the slave narrative and trans-historical notions of the black aesthetic, Doers of the Word recovers the ways in which these women exercised their contested agency in the civic arenas. Peterson reminds her readers in stunning detail just how heterogeneous the black communitywas in the nineteenth century and continues to be at the approach of the twenty-first."--Claudia Tate, George Washington University., "Peterson's extensive and thorough analysis of these activist women'spublic adresses and writings is a fine work."--American Literature, "...an impressive and stunning achievement. Extensively researched andeloquently crafted, combining Foucaultian and feminist methologies, it willassuredly transform readers perceptions of the involvement of early AfricanAmerican women in struggles for civil, human, and women's rights. It is a textboth inspired and inspiring."--Tulsa Studies in Women's Literature, "Peterson's book is pioneering. Unlike other literary critical discourses which can draw on long established traditions, Doers of the Word must define the very terms in which we think about African American women's texts. The brilliance and excitement of Peterson's book lie in its stunningoriginality and intellectual courage."--Elizabeth Ammons, Tufts University., "...this valuable study adds significantly to our understanding of the contributions made by black women to racial uplift efforts in the North."--Nineteenth-Century Literature, "Peterson's extensive and thorough analysis of these activist women's public adresses and writings is a fine work."--American Literature
