Ain't I a Diva?

May 1, 2019
Brooklyn-based educator and speaker Allred delivers a book-length extension of a college class he designed, "Politicizing Beyoncé," including texts, references, and broader theoretical frameworks. This project fits in the educational tradition of including analysis of popular culture as a teaching strategy, now widely regarded as an access point for students to engage with critical theory. Focusing on black feminism, Allred builds a thorough and detailed critical study of how Beyoncé's catalog reflects, connects to, and is informed by literary and theoretical work. He interrogates Beyoncé's music and videos to explore the complicated spaces where racism, sexism, and capitalism collide. Using the singer's work as a canon, Allred analyzes how her lyrical and visual texts handle such themes as self-definition, love, and resistance. With a referential scope that includes Sojourner Truth, Zora Neale Hurston, Audre Lorde, Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, bell hooks, the Combahee River Collective, and many others, Allred effectively demonstrates how Beyoncé's work aligns with and advances many elements of black feminism. Throughout, the author offers well-grounded insights into the political and cultural significance of Beyoncé's work and provides an expansive base from which to view it. Yet the enthusiasm that may spark lively class discussion does not necessarily translate onto the page, and offering a single class as an academic model may work against the broader purpose of accessibility common to pop-culture pedagogy. While Allred cites the work of the African-American women and scholars examining Beyoncé's feminist influences and appeal, this text functions more as monologue about a class than a dialogue with the current rich scholarship on the topic. Still, the author's emphasis on instructional methods positions this work amid important existing trends connecting education to contemporary society. Acclaimed poet and black feminist activist Cheryl Clarke provides the introduction. An asset for educators interested in feminism and pop-culture pedagogy.

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