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In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson acquired 828,000 square
miles of French territory in what became known as the Louisiana
Purchase. Although today Louisiana makes up only a small portion
of this immense territory, this exceptional state embraces
a larger-than-life history and a cultural blend unlike any
other in the nation. Louisiana Culture from the Colonial Era
to Katrina, a collection of fourteen essays compiled and edited
by John Lowe, captures all of the flavor and richness of the
state's heritage, illuminating how Louisiana, despite its
differences from the rest of the United States, is a microcosm
of key national concerns—including regionalism, race,
politics, immigration, global connections, folklore, musical
traditions, ethnicity, and hybridity.
Divided into five parts, the volume opens with an examination
of Louisiana's origins, with pieces on Native Americans, French
and German explorers, and slavery. Two very different but
complementary essays follow with investigations into the ongoing
attempts to define Creoles and creolization. No collection
on Louisiana would be complete without attention to its remarkable
literary traditions, and several contributors offer tantalizing
readings of some of the Pelican State's most distinguished
writers—a dazzling array of artists any state would
be proud to claim.
The volume also includes pieces on a couple of eccentric
mythologies distinct to Louisiana and explorations of Louisiana's
unique musical heritage. Throughout, the international slate
of contributors explores the idea of place, particularly the
concept of Louisiana as the center of the Caribbean wheel,
where Cajuns, Creoles, Cubans, Haitians, Jamaicans, and others
are part of a New World configuration, connected by their
linguistic identity, landscape and climate, religion, and
French and Spanish heritage. A poignant conclusion considers
the devastating impact of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and
what the storms mean for Louisiana's cultural future.
A rich portrait of Louisiana culture, this volume stands
as a reminder of why that culture must be preserved.
John Lowe is professor of English and comparative
literature and director of the Program in Louisiana and Caribbean
Studies at Louisiana State University. Currently a Louisiana
Board of Regents ATLAS fellow, he is the author or editor
of several books, including the forthcoming Faulkner's
Fraternal Fury.
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