Liminality and Longing in Zora Neale Hurston's Barracoon: The Story of the Last "Black Cargo" and Dionne Brand's At the Full and Change of the Moon.

This article analyzes how Zora Neale Hurston’s non-fiction narrative *Barracoon: The Story of the Last "Black Cargo"* (2018) and Dionne Brand’s historical novel *At the Full and Change of the Moon* (1999) depict the liminal space occupied by Black individuals between slavery and freedom. Focusing on the African-descended men Kossola and Kamena, the texts explore their persistent quests for freedom and home amid trauma, loss, and displacement rooted in the Middle Passage. Both authors emphasize storytelling and remembrance as acts of resistance and empowerment that sustain these men and their communities despite the physical and psychological toll of their experiences. The narratives highlight the complexities of “unfreedom” and the ongoing impact of slavery’s legacy on African diasporic identities, illustrating how survival and resilience are cultivated through collective memory and shared stories.