美国黑人文学又称为非裔美国文学,是美国文学的重要组成部分,它集中展现了美国黑人反抗种族压迫、追求自由平等的艰辛历程。作为黑人民族话语的代言人,在不同阶段,美国黑人文学对黑人的觉醒和黑人权利的争取都起到了不可估量的作用。本文将采用历时的研究视角,把美国黑人文学分为五个阶段:早期的黑人文学、南北战争前后的 Afro-American literature, also known as African-American literature, is an important part of American literature. It focuses on the arduous process of anti-racial oppression and the pursuit of freedom and equality by African Americans. As spokesperson of black national discourse, at different stages, Afro-American literature played an inestimable role in the awakening of Negroes and their fight for black rights. This article will adopt a diachronic perspective and divide Afro-American literature into five stages: Early Black Literature, before and after the Civil War