In Search of Our Daughters’ Gardens

Hip Hop as Womanist Prose

Authors

  • Tamura Lomax Independent Scholar

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/bsor.v40i3.004

Keywords:

Hip Hop, religion, race, sex, gender, Sexuality, artistry, representation, Daughters, mothers, dance, music, Womanist Thought, Feminist Theory, Nicki Minaj, Gardens

Abstract

This essay argues that Alice Walker’s seminal essay, “In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens,” offers a bridge between hip hop and womanist thought that is insightful for theorizing the “daughter’s” (Generation Y) experiences. Moreover, Walkers' essay anticipates hip hop culture, particularly the artistic expressions of female MCs (a.k.a. the “daughters”). One such daughter is current hip hop sensation, Nicki Minaj.

Author Biography

  • Tamura Lomax, Independent Scholar

    Tamura Lomax is an independent scholar.

References

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Hall, Stuart, ed. 1997. Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices. London: Sage Publications.

Lee, Shayne. 2010. Erotic Revolutionaries: Black Women, Sexuality, and Popular Culture. Lanham, Md.: Hamilton Books.

Long, Charles. 1995. (1986). Significations: Signs, Symbols, and Images in the Interpretation of Religion. Aurora, Colo.: Davies Group Publishers.

Minaj, Nicki. 2008. “Autobiography.” On Sucka Free. Young Money Entertainment.

———. 2010. Barbie World. Young Money Entertainment.

———. 2009. “Go Hard.” On Beam Me Up Scotty. Young Money Entertainment.

———. 2010. “Here I am” and “Moment 4 Life.” On Pink Friday. Cash Money Records/Motown Records.

Sharpley-Whiting, T. Denean. 2007. Pimps Up, Ho’s Down: Hip Hop’s Hold on Young Black Women. New York: New York University Press.

Spillers, Hortense. 2003. Black, White and in Color: Essays on American Literature and Culture. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Walker, Alice. 1983. In Search of Our Mother's Gardens: A Womanist Prose. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.

Published

2011-09-22

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Lomax, T. (2011). In Search of Our Daughters’ Gardens: Hip Hop as Womanist Prose. Bulletin for the Study of Religion, 40(3), 15-20. https://doi.org/10.1558/bsor.v40i3.004