Black Folk, White Gaze: Folklore and Black Male Precarity

Abstract

The intersections of racism and economic oppression in the US have worked to put African American men in a state of perpetual precarity. This multiangled and aggressive oppression has resulted in high rates of educational instability, mass incarceration, and early death among this group. As such, a segment of Black male folklife engages and addresses illegal activity and incarceration. Further, aspects of Black male folklife have been used as evidence of Black male criminality. From language practices to dress to hip hop and more, the folklife of Black men has a reciprocal relationship with crime, punishment, and physical vulnerability. This phenomenon also extends to Black men doing folklore work.