The Black Book Interactive Project (BBIP) Overview

[By Kenton Rambsy]

The Black Book Interactive Project (BBIP) focuses on African American novels published from the mid-19th through the early 20th century novels, creating a tool that allows a comparison of thematic and stylistic elements, ideas and language use. Relying on text-mining software, mapping and geo-tagging, we can make striking observations about a large number of texts. Scholars, researchers and students will be able to ask more specific questions about individual texts in relationship to the larger group and to map literary trends more precisely. The ultimate goal for this interactive database is to allow us to customize our research questions and topics related to black novels by demonstrating the consistency and transformation of ideas and patterns across time, especially as black writing becomes more professionalized and gains increased credibility within our culture. 

*Black Literature and DigitalHumanities: The Black Book Interactive Project