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Poetry, Politics and the Public Sphere: How Race Structures Public Discoure in Spoken Word Venues
Unformatted Document Text:  Poetry, Politics and the Public Sphere: How Racial Context Structures Discourse in Spoken Word Venues Crystal M. Fleming Department of Sociology, Harvard University While some cultural sociologists examine the role of context in structuring public discourse (Eliasoph 1996 and 2002, Lichterman 1999), few studies attempt to uncover how people decide which discourses to relegate to smaller, protected spaces and which discourses to express in broader forums. Similarly, studies of black public spheres generally focus on black churches, media outlets, barbershops and community organizations, without including a comparative component (Harris-Lacewell 2002, Squires 2000, Gregory 1995). This paper seeks to improve our understanding of how—and why—minority group members shift between enclaves and wider publics by examining the discursive practices of African-Americans in Boston and Cambridge. Through in-depth interviews with 30 African American poets and participant observation in predominately black and predominately white poetry venues, I explore how racial context shapes the manner in which minorities decide what to say (and what not to say) in ‘counterpublics’ and wider publics. Contemporary poetry venues are best understood as public forums and discursive arenas. Unlike other forms of cultural performance such as dance, music and visual art, spoken word poetry consists of face-to-face verbal interaction. Often held in cafés, bars and other communal spaces, spoken word venues conform in some respects to the Habermasian ‘public sphere’. Habermas (1962) framed the ‘public sphere’ as a configuration of institutions that allowed members of the bourgeoisie to critique the state and to deliberate upon issues of public concern. While hugely influential, Habermas’ formulation has come under criticism for its inability to account for competing public spheres and spaces for alternative identities. Fraser’s (1989) well known critique identifies subaltern ‘counterpublics’ as discursive spaces for non-bourgeois groups. In her view, marginalized groups make use of protected spaces due to social exclusion from

Authors: Fleming, Crystal.
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Poetry, Politics and the Public Sphere:
How Racial Context Structures Discourse in Spoken Word Venues
Crystal M. Fleming
Department of Sociology, Harvard University
While some cultural sociologists examine the role of context in structuring public discourse
(Eliasoph 1996 and 2002, Lichterman 1999), few studies attempt to uncover how people decide
which discourses to relegate to smaller, protected spaces and which discourses to express in
broader forums. Similarly, studies of black public spheres generally focus on black churches,
media outlets, barbershops and community organizations, without including a comparative
component (Harris-Lacewell 2002, Squires 2000, Gregory 1995). This paper seeks to improve
our understanding of how—and why—minority group members shift between enclaves and wider
publics by examining the discursive practices of African-Americans in Boston and Cambridge.
Through in-depth interviews with 30 African American poets and participant observation in
predominately black and predominately white poetry venues, I explore how racial context shapes
the manner in which minorities decide what to say (and what not to say) in ‘counterpublics’ and
wider publics.
Contemporary poetry venues are best understood as public forums and discursive arenas. Unlike
other forms of cultural performance such as dance, music and visual art, spoken word poetry
consists of face-to-face verbal interaction. Often held in cafés, bars and other communal spaces,
spoken word venues conform in some respects to the Habermasian ‘public sphere’. Habermas
(1962) framed the ‘public sphere’ as a configuration of institutions that allowed members of the
bourgeoisie to critique the state and to deliberate upon issues of public concern. While hugely
influential, Habermas’ formulation has come under criticism for its inability to account for
competing public spheres and spaces for alternative identities. Fraser’s (1989) well known
critique identifies subaltern ‘counterpublics’ as discursive spaces for non-bourgeois groups. In
her view, marginalized groups make use of protected spaces due to social exclusion from


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