Transformative Resistance Through Folklore Revival in Joy Harjo and Richard Wright Selected Texts

Abstract

This study aims to show two memoirs by Joy Harjo, Crazy Brave (2012) and Richard Wright, Uncle Tom’s Children (1938). These works of folklore revival are important contributions to our literary repertoire. They allow readers to connect with the customs, beliefs, and art of previous generations by preserving traditions that might otherwise be lost. The study used Michel Foucault's theory of power and Bill Ashcroft's views to illustrate the process of White hegemony over indigenes in the context of folklore revival texts. Folklore texts are essential in reclaiming cultural heritage and preserving traditions, but it is crucial to examine them critically through a postcolonial lens. Resistance in literature has remained a powerful strategy that helped their literature survive the colonial experience and maintain their cultural identity. The study highlights the importance of critically examining folklore revival texts through a postcolonial lens to understand how White hegemony has influenced traditional cultural heritage. This critical examination of texts can help indigenes resist and maintain their cultural identity through literature as a powerful strategy. A lot of studies have been conducted on Black African American Literature but very little dealt with folklore particularly in Joy Harjo and Richard Wright. However, the current study argues that the literature written those have other hidden motives seen in the light of post-colonial theory through the concepts of resistance, hegemony, and hybridity. Joy Harjo and Richard Wright's literature reflect the revival of folklore and cultural traditions that were almost lost due to colonization. This study aims to shed light on the essential role of folklore in African American literature, specifically in works by Joy Harjo and Richard Wright.

Keywords

• postcolonial, hegemony, folklore, identity, hybridity