Iconoclastic Historicity in Ishmael Reed's Mumbo Jumbo
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Department of English
Abstract
Ishmael S. Reed's novel Mumbo Jumbo presents an iconoclastic paradigm
against the western perspective to view cultural history of African American people in
American locations. In this novel, Reed rewrites the history of black people from a
cultural praxis that dismantles the 'icons' of western metaphysics. While Reed tries to
show the cultural history of black people from its origin to the present socio-political
situation in America, he moves to the iconoclastic arena of historicity. The white
conception of 'history' and 'culture' of black people is violated, dismantled and
threatened in this novel. The struggle between Jes Grew and Wallflower order
regarding the ancient Black Egyptian text The Book of Thoth and adaptation of
multidisciplinary facets such as art, culture, myth and music from the perspective of
African Americans questions the canonical culture and history. Furthermore, with the
contextualization of Harlem Renaissance and Jazz culture Reed challenges the
autonomy of western canon.