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Ralph Ellison, Going to the Territory (Random House, 1986) Reissued by Vintage in paperback in 1995. Ralph Ellison's Going to the Territory collects 30 years' worth of insightful essays, speeches, and interviews into one dense cultural study. He covers every aspect of American life, from race, class, ethnicity and religion, to politics, history, art, and literature. He shares his fascination with social mobility, focusing on education and an abundance of cultural offerings (jazz music, novels, etc.) as universal tools available to individuals of all backgrounds, no matter where in America they were born or the color of their skin. Among the essays included here are "Remembering Richard Wright," "Homage to Duke Ellington on His Birthday," and "What America Would Be Like Without Blacks." Relying on his own experiences growing up in Oklahoma, studying music at Tuskegee Institute, and living and working as a writer in New York City, Ellison describes in detail the subtleties and generalities of American cultural identity. He deconstructs the events of his own life and reflects on the broader social issues of his time (civil rights, poverty, etc.), which allows his readers to see themselves and their society in microscopic detail. Although the most recent of the pieces was published nearly 20 years ago, many of Ellison's observations are still prescient today and worth considering when attempting to understand America as a unique culture all its own. MORE: PBS American Masters: Ralph Ellison New York Times Archives on Ellison Interviews with Ellison’s Friends and Colleagues |
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