This Ain’t Chicago: Race, Class, and Regional Identity in the Post-Soul South, by Zandria F. Robinson

When Zandria Robinson returned home to interview African Americans in Memphis, she was often greeted with some version of the caution “I hope you know this ain’t Chicago.” In this important new work, Robinson critiques ideas of black identity constructed through a northern lens and situates African Americans as central shapers of contemporary southern culture. Analytically separating black southerners from their migrating cousins, fictive kin, and white counterparts, Robinson demonstrates how place intersects with race, class, gender, and regional identities and differences. Visit the book page: This Ain’t Chicago: Race, Class, and Regional Identity in the Post-Soul South