What We Say, Who We Are

In What We Say, Who We Are, Parker English explores the commonality between Leopold Senghor's concept of "negritude" and Zora Neale Hurston's view of "Negro expression." For English, these two concepts emphasize that a person's view of herself is above all dictated by the way in which she talks about herself. Focusing on "performism," English discusses the presentational/representational and externalistic/internalistic facets of this concept and how they relate to the ideas of Senghor and Hurston.

Parker English

Chapter 1: Senghor's Discussion of "Negritude" and Hurston's Discussion of "Negro Expression" Chapter 2: Performism: A View Gleaned from Senghor and from Hurston Chapter 3: Performatives and Reflexivity in Light of Hurston's Ethnography and Fiction Chapter 4: Exchanges of Speech Chapter 5: Speech and Senses of Self in Their Eyes Were Watching God Chapter 6: Performism in the World