Classicism and Other Phobias

The word “classical” is associated with Ancient Greece and Rome, but what about Black works, culture, and history? Padilla Peralta argues that classicism as we know it fails to honor the value of Black life. This book is rooted in past W.E.B. Du Bois Lectures — delivered at Harvard and first created in 1981 — and examines how the field of classics excludes Blackness. A Black classicist himself, Padilla Peralta questions how to address this issue as he explores a variety of poetry, writing, and art. Classicism and Other Phobias (Princeton University Press) phobias starts a conversation that challenges the status quo and uplifts the aesthetic value of Black life.