Techno-Prosthetic Romantic Futurism

Afro Blue and Brit

Does it matter that Leigh Hunt descends in part from Africans? [1]   To claim him as a British author is to claim an African ancestry for British authorhood. The same is true--only more so--for Equiano. Cultural production in Britain during the Romantic period arises out of a mixed lineage. To insist on this mix in no way minimizes the horrors of subjection to the force of national identity and the powers it circulates. On the contrary it reveals the arrogance of that identity, the nefarious effects of any claim to national, racial, or cultural purity. [2]   Unchain Britannia! Look into her pedigree.

Notes

1. See Nicholas Roe, Fiery Heart: The First Life of Leigh Hunt (London: Pimlico, 2005).

2. For a related insistence, see Amitava Kumar, Husband of a Fanatic: A Personal Journey Through India, Pakistan, Love, and Hate (New York: New Press, 2005).

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