Habitual Return

Abstract:

The histories of two families are examined to explore how African Americans remained attached to the American South during the Great Migration—the mass migration of African Americans out of the American South during the first half of the twentieth century. These continued attachments are described as habitual return, the ritualized practice of African Americans' frequent returns to the South. Weaving together family history and archival documents, the concept of habitual return illuminates the region as more than a place to flee from, as it remains the cultural home of countless African American families.