Jim Crow Modernism, The Saturday Evening Post, and the Harlem Renaissance

FAIN: HB-272764-21

Adam D. McKible
CUNY Research Foundation, John Jay College (New York, NY 10019-1007)

Writing and revision to finalize the manuscript of a book examining how some Harlem Renaissance artists challenged the racial discourse circulating in a major mass market periodical.  

“Jim Crow Modernism, The Saturday Evening Post, and the Harlem Renaissance” makes three interrelated claims. First, I argue that early twentieth century American modernism is best understood as “Jim Crow modernism.” Second, I pursue this argument by focusing on George Horace Lorimer’s editorship of The Saturday Evening Post and his long running practice of publishing black dialect stories written by white authors in order to describe the politics and practices of stereotyping that occupied a central position in American print culture. Third, I argue that we can better understand the achievements of African American authors of the Harlem Renaissance by reading their work as being in dialogue and contestation with the Post’s white authors, and with Jim Crow modernism more broadly. Ultimately, my project provides a greater understanding of the constructions of blackness that dominated American print culture, and an enhanced contextualization of the literature of the Harlem Renaissance.

Associated Products

Circulating Jim Crow: The Saturday Evening Post and the War Against Black Modernity (Book)
Title: Circulating Jim Crow: The Saturday Evening Post and the War Against Black Modernity
Author: Adam D. McKible
Abstract: "In the early twentieth century, the Saturday Evening Post was perhaps the most popular and influential magazine in the United States, establishing literary reputations and shaping American culture. In the popular imagination, it is best remembered for Norman Rockwell’s covers, which nostalgically depicted a wholesome and idyllic American way of life. But beneath those covers lurked a more troubling reality. Under the direction of its longtime editor, George Horace Lorimer, the magazine helped justify racism and white supremacy. It published works by white authors that made heavy use of paternalistic tropes and demeaning humor, portraying Jim Crow segregation and violence as simple common sense." (From Columbia University Press)
Year: 2024
Primary URL: https://cup.columbia.edu/book/circulating-jim-crow/9780231212656
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Type: Single author monograph
ISBN: 9780231212656

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