Spaces of Conflict, Sounds of Solidarity - (American Crossroads) by Gaye Theresa Johnson (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

In Spaces of Conflict, Sounds of Solidarity, Gaye Theresa Johnson examines interracial anti-racist alliances, divisions among aggrieved minority communities, and the cultural expressions and spatial politics that emerge from the mutual struggles of Blacks and Chicanos in Los Angeles from the 1940s to the present. Johnson argues that struggles waged in response to institutional and social repression have created both moments and movements in which Blacks and Chicanos have unmasked power imbalances, sought recognition, and forged solidarities by embracing the strategies, cultures, and politics of each others' experiences. At the center of this study is the theory of spatial entitlement: the spatial strategies and vernaculars utilized by working class youth to resist the demarcations of race and class that emerged in the postwar era. In this important new book, Johnson reveals how racial alliances and antagonisms between Blacks and Chicanos in L.A. had spatial as well as racial dimensions.

From the Back Cover

"Johnson's book illustrates how sonic affinities between black and brown provide a way of thinking about urban race relations that transcends the limited categories of conflict and cooperation." --Daniel Widener, author of Black Arts West: Culture and Struggle in Black Los Angeles, 1942-1992

"From record stores to radio, from East L.A. punk to South Central hip hop, Johnson puts her ear to the post-WWII city and in a lucid, impassioned voice tells us what she hears: invaluable stories of struggle, conflict, and alliance that continue to shape the political stakes of the contemporary moment." --Josh Kun, author of Audiotopia: Music, Race, and America

"Gaye Theresa Johnson had to ignore all the noise about black-brown conflict, seek out archives that were never supposed to be found, and develop new ways of seeing and hearing. In so doing, she has produced a truly magnificent account of the world African Americans and Chicano/as made together--a world of sound, style, and subversion that serves as both a window into social crises and a vision for social change."--Robin D. G. Kelley, author of Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original

"Beautifully written, Spaces of Conflict, Sounds of Solidarity offers us a new and imaginative way of thinking about relations between Chicanas/os and African Americans. With her concept of "spatial entitlement," Johnson shows us the many ways, including those we cannot see, in which Black and Brown communities forged solidarities."--Laura Pulido, Professor of American Studies & Ethnicity, University of Southern California

Review Quotes

"Magnificently written and researched . . . lays fertile ground for future scholarship by offering a rich and nuanced account of the shared struggles and victories of Black and Brown communities in Los Angeles."-- "American Studies Journal" (1/1/2015 12:00:00 AM)

About the Author

Gaye Theresa Johnson is Associate Professor of Black Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara.