“slumming”

when an individual crosses over from one dominant hegemonic culture to experience the strange subculture of another. Often times placed in racially and sexually segregated ghettos, in order to excite and unsettle the curiosities of the slummer (Bronski, 121). Slumming was prevalent during the New York’s Harlem Renaissance that drew crowds to the spectacular jazz clubs nightly events. Slumming gave the opportunity for people to experience different ways of being that they were not normally familiar by providing another perspective to cultural difference and the permission to facilitate relationships beyond their own cultural understanding.

 

 

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Harlem Renaissance

Cultural, social, and artistic period between WWI and the mid-1930’s; prominent in the rise of Black artists, writers, poets, musicians, scholars- also an important factor in early-contemporary Queer culture (especially Black Queer culture). (Garber, “Spectacle In Color”)

• really, really important to note, as literary and artistic movements are rarely ever based on anything culturally outside of the threshold of White, or Euro-centric
  • let along anything non-White and queer