Creole: The History and Legacy of Louisiana's Free People of Color - Paperback

by Sybil Kein (Editor)

Who are the Creoles? The answer is not clear-cut. Of European, African, or Caribbean mixed descent, they are a people of color and Francophone dialect native to south Louisiana; and though their history dates from the late 1600s, they have been sorely neglected in the literature. Creole is a project that both defines and celebrates this ethnic identity. In fifteen essays, writers intimately involved with their subject explore the vibrant yet understudied culture of the Creole people across time--their language, literature, religion, art, food, music, folklore, professions, customs, and social barriers.

Back Jacket

Who are the Creoles? The answer is not clear-cut. Of European, African, or Caribbean mixed descent, they are a people of color and Francophone dialect native to south Louisiana; and though their history dates from the late 1600s, they have been sorely neglected in the literature. Creole is a project that both defines and celebrates this ethnic identity. In fifteen essays, writers intimately involved with their subject explore the vibrant yet understudied culture of the Creole people across time -- their language, literature, religion, art, food, music, folklore, professions, customs, and social barriers.

"Multicultural before there was a name, racially constructed before there was a theory, international before there was a discourse, Louisiana's Creoles have much to teach us about the specific history and production of a remarkable people as well as about the larger, overarching, fluid, and complicated issues of culture, nation, and race. This extraordinary interdisciplinary collection, wide-ranging yet judiciously focused, is a powerful and necessary addition to the twenty-first century studies of race and culture." -- Thadious M. Davis, author of Southscapes: Geographies of Race, Region, and Literature

"Conservative or liberal, black, white, or griffe, all Louisianians should find this book a fascinating read -- an insight into the complicated political and social battles that shaped our state's history and still affect our society today." -- New Orleans Magazine

Author Biography

Sybil Kein is a Creole scholar, writer, and singer. She has published five poetry collections and several albums of Creole music, and her recorded poetry is housed in the National Archives. She is a distinguished professor of English emerita of the University of Michigan.