Black Shack Alley by Joseph Zobel has to be my favourite novel we have read in class so far. The story of transformation and expectations is one I think many people can relate to, even in today’s society. One thing about the novel that particularly stuck out to me, was the way Zobel wrote about postcolonialism, and how a similar narrative currently continues to take place. 

I also didn’t know that Martinique was still technically a part of France and that they gained decolonization by integration rather than independence, as the lecture video states. But even then I wonder if full independence for Martiqniue is possible. 

One of the main things I want to talk about in this blog post is the idea of tokenization. José is obviously very tokenized when he moves out of his community into the ‘literate’ society. But even though he has reached the same level of education as his white counterparts he is still outcasted and tokenized. He is forced to fit into the ‘postcolonial edifice’ that will keep him in a tokenized position. I found the idea of a ‘postcolonial edifice’ somewhat relatable even in today’s society. Companies, schools and overall society celebrate diversity, but only if it fits their box – you’re allowed to celebrate your cultural roots but only if others are able to profit off of it. This also gets into the rocky territory of how one separates true diversity from tokenization. 

This idea of true diversity vs tokenization is furthered when José is warned that transformation can hide more fundamental continuities and that ‘nothing has changed’. This book was written 45 years ago and I agree, I don’t think anything has truly changed. I believe that many things have changed to welcome a more equal and free society. However, this society is still built of colonial structures that perpetuate systemic inequality – proving that nothing has truly changed. 

Another moment in the novel and lecture that really resonated with me is that José’s transformation was the work of the community around him (which I feel many of us can relate to). I related this to the motif of hands used especially on page 220. The imagery of M’man Tine’s hands made me think about the hands that hold us, cook for us, the hands that labour, the hands that write and the hands that read. This imagery honestly made me a bit emotional. 

To me, Black Shack Alley felt like a cyclical novel, but also a novel to break a cycle. Yes, José is breaking out of this ‘postcolonial edifice’ to share his story, but he keeps the cycle of storytelling that has been passed down. 

As a closing note, I super recommend ‘The Deep’ by Rivers Solomon. It explores slavery, (post) colonialism and generational trauma through an Afro-futurism lens that is really entertaining to read but also very thought-provoking. 

My question for discussion would be: Can you relate to José in any way? Whether it be through a generational lens or an educational one?