Abstract

This essay explores representations of Harriet Tubman in African American art and contemporary popular culture. From art to children’s literature to Hollywood films to public memorials, these works flatten the historical while hyperbolizing the fantastical elements of Tubman. Nonetheless, I argue for the importance of reconfiguring Tubman in the artistic and popular imaginary as an icon of resistance and a refutation of the national myths perpetuated in popular American history.

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