The Role of Women Writers in the Harlem Renaissance: A Study of How Female Authors Shaped the Cultural Movement

The Harlem Renaissance, often considered a golden age for African American culture, was also a transformative period for women writers. In Women of the Harlem Renaissance, Marissa Constantinou examines how female authors shaped the cultural and literary movement of the 1920s. Female writers like Zora Neale Hurston, Nella Larsen, and Dorothy West played pivotal roles in redefining African American literature, often addressing themes of race, identity, gender, and societal norms.

Their works gave voice to African American women’s experiences, which had been historically marginalized. Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, for example, explored the complexities of black womanhood, autonomy, and love. Nella Larsen’s Passing examined the social and psychological effects of racial passing, while Dorothy West’s short stories captured the complexities of African American life in Harlem.

These women were instrumental in creating