Spain in the African American Imagination (African American Intellectu

Spain in the African American Imagination (African American Intellectu) Volume 1 explores how mid-20th century thinkers utilized the Spanish landscape to reframe concepts of race, history, and cultural belonging. Author Rebecca Pawel examines how intellectuals such as Richard Wright, Langston Hughes, and Arthur Schomburg engaged with Spanish national myths to challenge existing social hierarchies. By viewing Spain as a space that sat between Europe and Africa, these writers found a unique conceptual environment to analyze the construction of racial narratives.

This history volume details how the perception of Spain as an archaic or medieval society provided a critical lens for African American modernists. These authors compared American notions of gender and race against the contemporary culture and historical identity of Spain. Through this scholarly analysis, the book illustrates how Spain served as a vital location for reimagining modernity and rewriting racial identities across the Atlantic.