Zora Neale Hurston: Claiming a Space.

The article focuses on the PBS documentary *Zora Neale Hurston: Claiming a Space*, directed by Tracy Heather Strain, which explores the life and work of Zora Neale Hurston, a Black anthropologist, writer, and folklorist. The film highlights Hurston’s innovative use of anthropological methods combined with literary skills to document and celebrate Black culture, despite facing significant challenges to her authority and recognition within academia and society. It draws on Hurston’s own recordings, writings, and film footage to illustrate her insider perspective on Black vernacular culture and her struggle against prevailing assumptions of Black inferiority. The documentary also addresses Hurston’s financial precarity, critical reception, and her complex views on race and segregation, situating her legacy within ongoing conversations about Black cultural legitimacy.