O'Neill, Stephen
(2016)
‘It’s William back from the dead’:
Commemoration, Representation and Race in Akala’s Hip-Hop Shakespeare.
Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism, 16 (2).
pp. 246-256.
ISSN 1473-8481
Abstract
Recent work oriented towards race in
Shakespeare studies has involved calls
not
just for critical attention to race as an ever
-‐‑
present, constitutive element of
Shakespeare
but also
for modes of scholarship and criticism that actively
promote
critical race studies,
diversity
and inclusivity
within the field
. In her
extraordinarily reflective study of race, Shakespeare and contemporary
America,
Ayanna
Thompson
describes her work
‘
as a
n act of intervention and activism
’
(
2011
:
128)
. Thompson
urges the various constituencies of the book’s audience,
including teachers, theatre practitioners and community activists to
facilitate
discussions about race both in and through Shakespeare
,
which
she argues might
be at its most valuable where it is destabilized
or regarded as an ongoing
process
.
Thompson’s call is echoed
by
Ruben Espinosa
(2016),
who showcases
the important work within the field around race and diversity, yet also suggests
that su
ch work remains marginalized
within the broader currents of the
Shakespeare academy
.
F
or Espinosa, writing five years after Thompson’s
influential work, all of us invested in Shakespeare continue to have a
material
role to play in
realizing greater
diversity
:
‘
our field’s commitment
to uncovering
and discussing social and racial inequalities
–
in the world of Shakespeare and in
our own
–
through race and ethnic studies should compel us to engender an
atmosphere of inclusivity when it comes to our fie
ld, one that encourages future
scholars to challenge the perceived delineation of Shakespeare’s meaning
’
(
2016:
62).
In this year of the Shakespeare quatercentenary,
such ethical commitments
to
a diversified Shakespeare
seem
especially salutary
.
Writing in
the
Shakespeare Association of America’s special
commemorative
publication
,
Ian
Smith
argues
that
‘
speaking about race within the discipline, requires unpacking
one’s white positioning, which includes making whiteness visible and an object
for critical
interrogation
; checking privilege; and exposing the denials and
misinterpretations that, too often, keep race a minority issue and race studies a
faddish or questionable enterprise in the era of so
-‐‑
called postracial
enlightenment
’
(
2016:
121).
A
s we variou
sly commemorate, celebrate and reflect
on Shakespeare as a legacy, as a value
and as a potentiality, we also have the
opportunity to ensure that it
i
s an open, plural Shakespeare that endures, one
full of
what Kathryn Schwarz calls
‘fugitive propositions’
(2016: 18)
.
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