The Detroit Badman Archive offers two primary tools for exploring Black masculine heroism in Detroit: an interactive geospatial map and a network visualization. This guide will help you understand how to use each tool effectively.
Select a section below to learn more about each feature.
Markers: Each badman figure is represented by a marker on the map. Click any marker to view biographical information, key events, and external links.
Color Coding: Markers are color-coded by modality—blue for Detective figures, red for Political Revolutionary figures.
Territory Polygons: Shaded areas represent the geographic territories where each figure operated. Hover over polygons to see territory descriptions.
Navigation: Use scroll to zoom, click and drag to pan. The zoom controls in the corner allow precise navigation.
Nodes: Each circle represents a badman figure. Node size reflects the figure's number of connections within the archive.
Edges: Lines between nodes represent documented relationships—creator to creation, ideological alignment, geographic convergence, or inspiration.
Timeline Slider: Use the timeline at the bottom to filter figures by their period of activity. Watch the network evolve across decades.
Interaction: Click any node to highlight its connections and view detailed relationship information in the side panel.
Designation: Each figure is marked as Real, Fictional, or Meta-Badman (figures who both lived the badman life and created badman narratives).
Badman Score: Figures are evaluated on five criteria (1-5 points each): Outlaw Relationship to Law, Community Authorization, Violence as Language, Cultural Preservation Function, and Hypermasculine Performance.
Sources: Every claim in a profile is linked to primary or secondary sources. Click source links to access original materials.
External Links: Profiles include hyperlinks to related content—films, books, speeches, and archival materials.