The Practice of Refusal in Willis Laurence James's Song Collecting

ABSTRACT The aim of this essay is to reintroduce Willis Laurence James’s (1900–1960) radical practice as a collector and a critic of the field of collecting. James – one of the fascinating, yet understudied collector who documented the music and songs of African American men and women around the American South between the mid-1920s and mid-1940s. This interdisciplinary study makes use of archival documents, musical recordings, letters and photographs to show that his practice of collecting was one of refusal, resistance and reclamation: part of an overall project of empowerment. James resisted the status quo within African American folk music collection and exposed the limits of its domination by white collectors. He refused the conditions imposed on African Americans by the discriminatory and violent system of segregation; he refused to accept the material conditions of scarcity and he worked vigorously to remedy the neglect and the poverty and to create infrastructures and opportunities through music collecting, education and performance. He reclaimed his authority in the face of denial and he reclaimed the centrality and the contribution of individuals and communities by centring his collection on their lived experiences.