Modernism is one of those things that English teachers and professors go ga-ga over. (No, not that Gaga.) Why? Because it's the perfect example of a writing style that's both accessible and inacces...

Sorry to disappoint, folks: the Great Migration doesn't have anything to do with geese flying north for the spring.The Great Migration was the major historical backbone of the Harlem Renaissance. S...

Okay, "racial division" is probably the most obvious theme people might think of when the phrase "Harlem Renaissance" pops up. But that doesn't mean racial divides were easy to comprehend way back...

It's not easy to understand yourself when you see you differently than other people do. And that's the heart of duality, Shmoopers.In case you haven't noticed, we still live in a society that (to o...

Think of the New Negro as kind of an early hippie philosophy promising blacks a new self—only without all the flowers, peace signs, and bell-bottoms. In other words, without all the hippie dippy...

Bright lights, big city. That's what we think of when we hear "New York City." Well, that and Jay Z (we're just trying to be honest here.)But anyway, New York City—and Harlem especially—isn't j...

Socialism and communism are not the same thing. We get it. Trust us, we do. But during the Harlem Renaissance, all kinds of political thoughts and philosophies were freely explored. So, both social...

The Harlem Renaissance practically invented the whole idea of mixing high culture with low culture. Or at least, the Harlem Renaissance made it very cool to do so. What about Andy Warhol, you say?...