Studies in “Japanese Dream”: A Transpacific Inquiry into Afrodiasporic Feminist Thought

Abstract

The chapter introduces writer Paule Marshall’s dream of going to Japan as an opening to engage in the study of Afrodiasporic feminist thought. It presents “Japanese dream” as a wellspring of distinct Black feminist artistry, which was shared by Toni Cade Bambara, Abbey Lincoln, and Atsuko Furomoto, the Japanese translator of Marshall’s novel, The Praisesong for the Widow. Specifically, it approaches “Japanese dream” as metaphysics to help articulate the richness and complexity of Black life.