Introduction: The reclamation of an intellectual life
Metaphors of self, language, and the will-to-power
"Every tub must sit on its own bottom": A philosophical world view
African American folklore as style, theme, and strategy
The folk preacher and folk sermon form
Politics, parody, power, and Moses, man of the mountain
Politics of self: Ambivalences, paradoxes, and ironies of race, color, sex, class, and gender
Conclusion: The essence of owning oneself.