ABSTRACT
This chapter examines Antara Ibn Shaddad's poetry in light of early Arab encounters with Black Africa. Pre-Islamic Black poet Antara Ibn Shaddad, who was born to an Arab father and an Ethiopian slave mother, was self-deprecating and defensive about his black colour. Because of his lower status, Ibn Shaddad sought, through his poetry and prowess in battle, reintegration into the Arab tribal social order. His defensiveness about his blackness shows the self-racializing language at the time. The chapter draws on Pierre Bourdieu's social theories to help understand Antara's reproduction of pre-Islamic views of race in his poetry. It also draws on Homi Bhabha's concept of mimicry and “forked tongue” as it examines the strategies Antara uses in his poetry and his ability to speak in a forked tongue to mobilize his liminal position as he seeks incorporation into the dominant system. The chapter also argues that Antara's subjugated status within his tribe, despite his freedom status fits within the framework of the theoretical movement called Afro-pessimism, which views blackness as equivalent to slavery, and explains the ongoing impacts of racism and slavery on the lived experience of Black Africans.
