Books by Parker English

In What We Say, Who We Are: Leopold Senghor, Zora Neale Hurston, and the Philosophy of Language, Parker English explores the commonality between Leopold Senghor's concept of "e;negritude"e; and Zora Neale Hurston's view of "e;Negro expression."e; For English, these two concepts emphasize that a person's view of herself is above all dictated by the way in which she talks about herself. Focusing on what he identifies as "e;performism,"e; English discusses the presentational/representational and externalistic/internalistic facets of "e;performism"e; as they relate to the ideas of Senghor and Hurston. English ends his work by closely examining Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God in light of his discussion of "e;performism,"e; and draws new, intriguing conclusions about the extent to which Hurston's main character exemplifies W.E.B. DuBois's concept of double-consciousness. What We Say, Who We Are will certainly pique the interest of scholars interested in Africana studies, African-American literature, and the philosophy of language.