The Tar Baby: A Global History

by Bryan Wagner

A richly nuanced cultural history of an enigmatic and controversial folktalePerhaps the best-known version of the tar baby story was published in 1880 by Joel Chandler Harris in Uncle His Songs and His Sayings, and popularized in Song of the South, the 1946 Disney movie. Other versions of the story, however, have surfaced in many other places throughout the world, including Nigeria, Brazil, Corsica, Jamaica, India, and the Philippines. The Tar Baby offers a fresh analysis of this deceptively simple story about a fox, a rabbit, and a doll made of tar and turpentine, tracing its history and its connections to slavery, colonialism, and global trade.Bryan Wagner explores how the tar baby story, thought to have originated in Africa, came to exist in hundreds of forms on five continents. Examining its variation, reception, and dispersal over time, he argues that the story is best understood not merely as a folktale but as a collective work in political philosophy. Circulating at the same time and in the same places as new ideas about property and politics developed in colonial law and political economy, the tar baby comes to embody an understanding of the interlocking processes by which custom was criminalized, slaves were captured, and labor was bought and sold.Compellingly argued and ambitious in scope, the book concludes with twelve versions of the story transcribed from various cultures in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

275 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 12, 2017

Reviews

[Teri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most people have heard of the old folktale The Wonderful Tar Baby. It is the most iconic of the old Uncle Remus stories that have their roots in African American folklore. Wagner deconstructs the story while comparing it to twelve other similar stories from various regions around the world. Since its publication by Joel Chandler Harris in 1880, The Wonderful Tar Baby Story's origins have been wrapped in controversy. Many ethnic and regional people have laid claim to stories that are nearly identical. Besides delving into the origin controversy, Wagner looks at the political and cultural implications of the story.

Very thorough. I wonder how the author came across some of these stories. It's obvious that he's done his research. It's not a riveting book, but if you are interested in folklore, especially African American folklore, this is a great microhistory to read.

[Avi]

I do not have enough references to literature to get through this book.