Shows
The Black Studies PodcastBrian Kwoba - Department of History, University of MemphisThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Brian Kwoba, who teaches in the Department of History at University of Memp...2025-07-2847 min
The Black Studies PodcastKhadijah Z. Ali-Coleman - Department of English, Coppin State UniversityThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Khadijah Z. Ali-Coleman, who teaches in the Department of English at Coppin Stat...2025-07-2351 min
The Black Studies PodcastMari Crabtree - African American Studies and History, Emerson CollegeThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Mari Crabtree, Associate Professor of African American Studies and History at Emerson College in the...2025-07-0152 min
The Black Studies PodcastDarius Spearman - Program in Black Studies, San Diego City CollegeThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Darius Spearman, who teaches in the program in Black Studies at San Dieg...2025-06-2455 min
The Black Studies PodcastKatherine McKittrick - Department of Gender Studies and Canada Research Chair in Black Studies, Queen's UniversityThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Katherine McKittrick, who teaches in the Department of Gender Studies and is Cana...2025-06-131h 01
The Black Studies PodcastKaila Story - Departments of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Pan-African Studies, University of LouisvilleThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Kaila Story, who is the Audre Lorde Endowed Chair at the University of L...2025-06-091h 02
The Black Studies PodcastTamara J. Walker - Department of Africana Studies, Barnard CollegeThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Tamara J. Walker, who teaches in the Department of Africana Studies at Barn...2025-06-0640 min
The Black Studies PodcastTaelore Marsh, Irma McClaurin Black Feminist Archives Archivist, University of Massachusetts, AmherstThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Taelore Marsh, Irma McClaurin Black Feminist Archives Archivist to the Robert S. Cox...2025-06-0444 min
The Black Studies PodcastFanon Che Wilkins - Department of History, Pasadena City CollegeThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Fanon Che Wilkins, who teaches in the Department of History at Pasadena City...2025-06-0256 min
The Black Studies PodcastEola Lewis Dance and Jennie K. Williams - Kinfolkology Project, Howard University and University of VirginiaThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Eola Dance and Jennie K. Williams, co-founders and directors of the Kinfolkology proj...2025-05-2657 min
The Black Studies PodcastStephanie Shonekan - Dean of Arts and Humanities, University of MarylandThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Stephanie Shonekan, who is Dean of the School of Arts and Humanities at U...2025-05-2139 min
The Black Studies PodcastKojo Damptey - Musician and School of Social Work, McMaster UniversityThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Kojo Damptey, a musician and scholar who is completing doctoral studies in the...2025-05-1942 min
The Black Studies PodcastCorey D.B. Walker - Dean of the School of Divinity, Wake Forest UniversityThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Corey D.B. Walker, who is Dean of the School of Divinity at W...2025-05-1657 min
The Black Studies PodcastPaul Joseph López Oro - Program in Africana Studies, Bryn Mawr CollegeThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Paul Joseph López Oro, who teaches in and is the director of th...2025-05-121h 07
The Black Studies PodcastTheodore R. Foster III - Department of History, University of Louisiana, LafayetteThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Theodore Foster III, who teaches in the Department of History, Geography, and Phil...2025-05-051h 07
The Black Studies PodcastM. Shadee Malaklou - Department of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Director of The bell hooks Center, Berea CollegeThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with M. Shadee Malaklou, who is Chair of and teaches in the Department of W...2025-04-3051 min
The Black Studies PodcastMatthew Simmons - Program in African American Studies, University of Alabama, BirminghamThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Matthew Simmons, who teaches in the Program in African American Studies at Univ...2025-04-251h 02
The Black Studies PodcastKelli Morgan - Founding Executive Director, Black Artists ArchiveThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Kelli Morgan, who is Founding Executive Director of the Black Artists Archive in D...2025-04-1854 min
The Black Studies PodcastCharles Athanasopoulos - Department of African American and African Studies, Ohio State UniversityThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Charles Athanasopoulos, who teaches in the Department of African American and African Stud...2025-04-1652 min
The Black Studies PodcastKesewa John - Department of History, Goldsmiths UniversityThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Kesewa John, who teaches in the Department of History at Goldsmiths University in L...2025-04-111h 13
The Black Studies PodcastMarlene Daut - Departments of French and African American Studies, Yale UniversityThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Marlene Daut, who teaches in the Departments of French and African American Stud...2025-04-0750 min
The Black Studies PodcastCharlene Carruthers - Department of Black Studies, Northwestern UniversityThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Charlene Carruthers, who is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Black Stud...2025-04-041h 00
The Black Studies PodcastMichele Reid-Vazquez - Department of Latin American, Caribbean, and Latinx Studies, Bowdoin CollegeThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Michele Reid-Vazquez, who teaches in the Department of Africana Studies at Bowdoin Coll...2025-04-0255 min
The Black Studies PodcastCourtney R. Baker - Department of English, University of California, RiversideThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Courtney Baker, who teaches in the Department of English at University of Cali...2025-03-3158 min
The Black Studies PodcastLaTaSha Levy - Department of Afro-American Studies, Howard UniversityThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with La TaSha Levy, who teaches in the Department of Africana Studies at Howa...2025-03-261h 08
The Black Studies PodcastDerrick White - Department of African American and African Studies, University of KentuckyThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Derrick White, who teaches in the Department of African American and Africana Stud...2025-03-211h 09
The Black Studies PodcastAshley Smith-Purviance - Department of African American and African Studies, Ohio State UniversityThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Ashley Smith-Purviance, who teaches in the Department of African American and African Stud...2025-03-1753 min
The Black Studies PodcastBrie Gorrell, Ashley Newby, and John E. Drabinski - Departments of Africana Studies and English, University of MarylandThis is Brie Gorrell and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, graduate and undergraduate students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is between myself, Ashley Newby, and John Drabinski, hosts of The Black Studies Podc...2025-03-1546 min
The Black Studies PodcastSharon P. Holland - Department of American Studies, University of North Carolina, Chapel HillThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Sharon P. Holland, who teaches in the Department of American Studies at Univ...2025-03-1455 min
The Black Studies PodcastFred Moten - Department of Performance Studies, New York UniversityThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Fred Moten, who teaches in the Department of Performance Studies at New York...2025-03-1047 min
The Black Studies PodcastAbdul Alkalimat - Department of African American Studies, University of Illinois, Urbana-ChampaignThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Abdul Alkalimat, Professor Emeritus in the Department of African American Studies at Univ...2025-03-061h 22
The Black Studies PodcastZebulon Miletsky - Department of Africana Studies, Stony Brook UniversityThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Zebulon Miletsky, who teaches in the Department of Africana Studies at Stony Broo...2025-02-281h 07
The Black Studies PodcastAlex Lubin - Department of African American Studies, Penn State UniversityThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Alex Lubin, who teaches in the Department of African American Studies at Penn...2025-02-2655 min
The Black Studies PodcastElizabeth Hamilton - Art History and African American Studies, Fort Valley State UniversityThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Elizabeth Hamilton, who teaches art history and African American studies at Fort Vall...2025-02-2148 min
The Black Studies PodcastGrant Farred - Department of Africana Studies, Cornell UniversityThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Grant Farred, who teaches in the Department of Africana Studies at Cornell Univ...2025-02-191h 08
The Black Studies PodcastNoliwe Rooks - Department of Africana Studies, Brown UniversityThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Noliwe Rooks, who teaches in the Department of Africana Studies at Brown Univ...2025-02-141h 06
The Black Studies PodcastAnthony Smith and Geo Maher - W.E.B. Du Bois Movement School for Abolition and ReconstructionThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Anthony Smith and Geo Maher, both of whom work as coordinators with the...2025-02-121h 09
The Black Studies PodcastJared Ball - Program in African American and African Diaspora Studies, Morgan State UniversityThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Jared Ball, who teaches in the Department of Africana Studies at Morgan Stat...2025-02-071h 06
The Black Studies PodcastGabrielle Williams - Department of Literary Studies, New School for Social ResearchThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Gabrielle Williams, who teaches in the Department of Literary Studies at the New...2025-02-0358 min
The Black Studies PodcastKhalil Saucier - Department of Critical Black Studies, Bucknell UniversityThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Khalil Saucier, who teaches in the Department of Critical Black Studies at Buck...2025-01-291h 02
The Black Studies PodcastChevy Eugene - Department of Political Science, Dalhousie UniversityThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Chevy Eugene, who teaches in the Department of Political Science at Dalhousie Univ...2025-01-2752 min
The Black Studies PodcastLayla Brown - Departments of Anthropology and Sociology and Africana Studies, Northeastern UniversityThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Layla Brown, who teaches in the Department of Anthropology and Sociology and Afri...2025-01-221h 01
The Black Studies PodcastSarah Jane Cervenak - Departments of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and African American and African Diaspora Studies, University of North Carolina, GreensboroThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Sarah Jane Cervenak, who teaches in the Departments of Women’s, Gender, and Se...2025-01-1748 min
The Black Studies PodcastWalter Greason - Department of History, Macalester CollegeThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Walter Greason, who teaches in the Department of History at Macalester College. In a...2025-01-1353 min
The Black Studies PodcastSaida Grundy - Departments of Sociology and African American and Black Diaspora Studies, Boston UniversityThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Saida Grundy, who teaches in the Departments of Africana Studies and Sociology at B...2025-01-101h 12
The Black Studies PodcastReighan Gillam - Department of Latin American, Latino, and Caribbean Studies, Dartmouth CollegeThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Reighan Gillam, who teaches in the Department of Latin American, Latino, and Cari...2025-01-0649 min
The Black Studies PodcastAshley Newby and John E. Drabinski - Department of African American and Africana Studies, University of MarylandThis is Ashley Newby and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today's conversation is between me and John E. Drabinski, my department colleague in the Department of African American and Africana St...2024-12-1943 min
The Black Studies PodcastEd Pavlić - Department of English and African American Studies, University of GeorgiaThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Ed Pavlić, Distinguished Research Professor of English and African American Studies at the U...2024-12-171h 06
The Black Studies PodcastReiland Rabaka - Department of Ethnic Studies, University of Colorado at BoulderThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Reiland Rabaka, who teaches in the Department of Ethnic Studies at University of C...2024-12-101h 16
The Black Studies PodcastZalika U. Ibaorimi - Department of African American and African Studies, Ohio State UniversityThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Zalika U. Ibaorimi, who works under the artist name N0HumanInv0lved (N.H...2024-12-0357 min
The Black Studies PodcastStephanie Sparling Williams - Andrew W. Mellon Curator of American Art at the Brooklyn MuseumThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Stephanie Sparling Williams, the Andrew W. Mellon Curator of American Art at the...2024-11-2753 min
The Black Studies PodcastRobin Means Coleman - Department of Media Studies and African American and African Studies, University of VirginiaThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Robin Means Coleman, Professor of Media Studies and of African American and Afri...2024-11-2154 min
The Black Studies PodcastJervette R. Ward - Department of Black Studies, City College of New YorkThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Jervette R. Ward, who teaches in and chairs the newly re-established Department of B...2024-11-1943 min
The Black Studies PodcastRita Kiki Edozie - Professor of Global Governance, University of Massachusetts-BostonThis is Ashley Newby and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today's episode features Rita Kiki Edozie, the Deval Patrick Endowed Chair of Political, Economic, and Social Innovation and Professor of Gl...2024-11-1451 min
The Black Studies PodcastJuanita Stephen - Department of Interdisciplinary and Critical Studies, University of WindsorThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Juanita Stephen, who teaches in the Department of Interdisciplinary and Critical Studies at U...2024-11-1255 min
The Black Studies PodcastPhilip V. McHarris - Frederick Douglass Institute and Department of Black Studies, University of RochesterThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Philip McHarris, who teaches in the Frederick Douglass Institute and Department of Blac...2024-11-081h 03
The Black Studies PodcastNeil Roberts - Department of Africana Studies, Williams CollegeThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Neil Roberts, Associate Dean of the Faculty and Professor of Africana Studies at W...2024-11-041h 16
The Black Studies PodcastDonelle Boose - Department of History and African American Studies Program, Randolph-Macon CollegeThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Donelle Boose, who teaches in the Department of History and African American Stud...2024-11-0156 min
The Black Studies PodcastAshanté Reese - Department of African and African Diaspora Studies, University of Texas, AustinThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Ashanté Reese, who teaches in the Department of African American Studies at the U...2024-10-3059 min
The Black Studies PodcastKameelah Martin - Department of African American Studies, College of CharlestonThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Kameelah Martin, who teaches in the Department of African American Studies at the...2024-10-2856 min
The Black Studies PodcastMelissa Daniels-Rauterkus - Department of English, University of Southern CaliforniaThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Melissa Daniels-Rauterkus, who teaches in the Department of English at the University of S...2024-10-251h 04
The Black Studies PodcastEddie S. Glaude, Jr. - Department of African American Studies, Princeton UniversityThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Eddie S. Glaude, Jr., who is James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor in t...2024-10-2344 min
The Black Studies PodcastBiko Caruthers - Department of English, New York UniversityThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Biko Caruthers, assistant professor and Provost Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Engl...2024-10-1856 min
The Black Studies PodcastWillie Mack - Department of Black Studies, University of MissouriThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Willie Mack, who teaches in the Department of Black Studies at the Univ...2024-10-1652 min
The Black Studies PodcastSonya Donaldson - Department of African American Studies, Colby CollegeThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Sonya Donaldson, who teaches in the Department of African American Studies at Colb...2024-10-1458 min
The Black Studies PodcastCourtney Terry - Department of Black Studies, Portland State UniversityThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Courtney Terry, assistant professor of Black Studies at Portland State University in Port...2024-10-091h 03
The Black Studies PodcastElena Guzman - Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies, Indiana UniversityThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Elena Guzman, who teaches in the Department of African American and African Dias...2024-10-0751 min
The Black Studies PodcastChristin Washington - Department of American Studies, University of MarylandThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Christin Washington, a doctoral candidate in the Department of American Studies at Univ...2024-10-0459 min
The Black Studies PodcastQiana Whitted - Department of English and African American Studies Program, University of South CarolinaThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Qiana Whitted, who teaches in the Department of English Language and Literature and...2024-09-3047 min
The Black Studies PodcastChristina Knight - Department of Art History, Rutgers UniversityThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Christina Knight, who teaches in the Department of Art History at Rutgers Univ...2024-09-2546 min
The Black Studies PodcastMark Anthony Neal - Department of African and African American Studies, Duke UniversityThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Mark Anthony Neal, the James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of African & African Amer...2024-09-1954 min
The Black Studies PodcastWendyliz Martinez - ACLS Leading Edge Fellow, New Jersey Institute for Social JusticeThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Wendyliz Martinez, a 2024 ACLS Leading Edge fellow where she works with the New...2024-09-1254 min
The Black Studies PodcastJ. Kameron Carter - Department of African American Studies, University of California, IrvineThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with J. Kameron Carter, who teaches in the Department of African American Studies at U...2024-09-051h 09
The Black Studies PodcastAustin Lee - Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program, Boston UniversityThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Austin Lee, a postdoctoral scholar at the Boston University Society of Fellows speci...2024-08-2944 min
The Black Studies PodcastCourtney Joseph - Department of History and African American Studies, Lake Forest CollegeThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Courtney Joseph, who teaches in the departments of History and African American Stud...2024-08-271h 04
The Black Studies PodcastSophia Jahadhmy and Sofia Meadows-Muriel - Department of Africana Studies, Cornell UniversityThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Sophia Jahadhmy and Sofia Meadows-Muriel, doctoral candidates in the Department of Africana Stud...2024-08-221h 07
The Black Studies PodcastErika Denise Edwards - Department of History, University of Texas at El PasoThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Erika Denise Edwards, an associate professor of history at the University of Texa...2024-08-1557 min
The Black Studies PodcastRinaldo Walcott - Department of Africana and American Studies, University of BuffaloThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Rinaldo Walcott, who teaches in the Department of Africana and American Studies at U...2024-08-081h 11
The Black Studies PodcastKeeanga-Yamahtta Taylor - Department of African American Studies, Princeton UniversityThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, who teaches in the Department of African American Studies at Prin...2024-08-061h 11
The Black Studies PodcastDavid Ikard - Department of African American and Diaspora Studies, Vanderbilt UniversityThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with David Ikard, who teaches in the Department of African American and Diaspora Stud...2024-08-011h 11
The Black Studies PodcastCharisse Burden-Stelly - Department of African American Studies, Wayne State UniversityThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Charisse Burden-Stelly, who teaches in the Department of African American Studies at Wayn...2024-07-3044 min
The Black Studies PodcastShaida Akbarian - Department of Comparative Studies, Ohio State UniversityThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Shaida Akbarian, who teaches in the Department of Comparative Studies at Ohio Stat...2024-07-2343 min
The Black Studies PodcastStephanie Jones and Makeba Lavan - Department of African Diaspora Studies, Grinnell CollegeThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with two of the founding members of the newly launched Department of African Dias...2024-07-161h 26
The Black Studies PodcastMichael E. Sawyer - Department of English, University of PittsburghThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods. Today’s conversation is with Michael E. Sawyer, who teaches in the Department of English at the University of Pi...2024-07-091h 02
The Black Studies PodcastJohn Murillo III - Department of African American Studies, University of California, IrvineThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with John Murillo III, who teaches in the Department of African American Studies at t...2024-07-031h 17
The Black Studies PodcastDeirdre Cooper Owens - Department of History and Africana Studies Institute, University of ConnecticutThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Deirdre Cooper Owens, who teaches in the Department of History with an appo...2024-07-0153 min
The Black Studies PodcastMartha Biondi - Department of Black Studies, Northwestern UniversityThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Martha Biondi, Lorraine H. Morton Professor of Black Studies at Northwestern University. She...2024-06-2946 min
The Black Studies PodcastMary Hicks - Department of History, University of ChicagoThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Mary Hicks, Associate Professor in the Department of History at the University of C...2024-06-2255 min
The Black Studies PodcastUtz McKnight - Department of Gender and Race Studies, University of AlabamaThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Utz McKnight, Professor in the Department of Gender and Race Studies at the...2024-06-171h 03
The Black Studies PodcastNaila Ansari, John Torrey, and Marcus Watson - Department of Africana Studies, Buffalo State UniversityThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with three faculty members from the Department of Africana Studies at Buffalo State Univ...2024-06-131h 13
The Black Studies PodcastHuey Hewitt - Department of African American Studies, Harvard UniversityThis is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is with Huey Hewitt, a late-stage doctoral student in the Department of African American Stud...2024-06-1148 min
The Black Studies PodcastAshley Newby and John E. Drabinski - Department of African American and Africana Studies, University of MarylandYou’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry and its critical methods.Today’s conversation is between the two collaborators on this project, Ashley Newby and John E. Drabinski. As colleagues in the Department of A...2024-05-0953 min
Fashioning Critical TheoryMurray and Ellison on Blues, Memory, Embodiment, and the Origins of TraditionThis podcast is bookended by musical pieces by Arthur Cooper, Malaco Records recording artist and great grandfather of participant and University of Maryland doctoral student Timmy R. Bridgeman.A conversation about Albert Murray's The Hero and the Blues and two essays by Ralph Ellison, "Living with Music" and "Blues People." In this discussion, we explore the relation between Murray's and Ellison's development of blues as a form of thought, life, and expressive culture and ideas of tradition. With particular emphasis on and extension of blues and jazz as "idea emotions" (Ellison), we link their work to ideas...2023-02-1752 min
Spike Lee's Joints6 - Memory and the Moral Horizon of School DazeA reflection on the opening credits to School Daze, and the sound and image that makes it work as the moral horizon of the film. In setting a series of images in relation to a Spiritual, Lee stages the stakes of the body of the film - what it means to live, act, and inhabit the horizon of Black righteousness with moral and political responsibility.2022-12-0724 min
Conversations in Atlantic TheorySarah Jane Cervenak on Black Gathering: Art, Ecology, Ungiven LifeJohn E. Drabinski hosts a discussion with Sarah Jane Cervenak, who teaches in the departments of Women's Gender, and Sexuality Studies and African American Studies at University of North Carolina, Greensboro. She is the author of a number of critical essays on African American art and literature with particular focus on Black feminist writing and performance, and has written two books - Wandering: Philosophical Performances of Racial and Sexual Freedom (Duke, 2014) and Black Gathering: Art, Ecology, and Ungiven Life (Duke, 2021), which is the occasion for our conversation today. In this discussion, we explore the motivations and aims of the...2022-12-061h 14
Spike Lee's Joints5 - Bamboozled, Nihilism, and the Problem of ExitIn a second discussion of Bamboozled, I continue a discussion of the film's pessimism and elements, small and suggestive only, that direct us towards paths of exit. I focus in particular on how minstrelsy haunts the film, our culture, and the possibilities of expressive life in an antiblack world - with specific reference to the scene in which the minstrel coin bank begins working on its own, without Delacroix's hand. The ghostly character of minstrelsy articulates how the past forms cultural production in the present, leaving us with an arc of nihilism. Are there paths out of that nihilism? I...2022-12-0524 min
Spike Lee's Joints4 - The Afropessimism of BamboozledIn this discussion, I explore the pessimism of Spike Lee's Bamboozled, a 2000 film that offers a thought experiment: what would happen if television broadcast a minstrel series? What are the theoretical foundations of the claims coming out of this experiment? Lee, I claim, is drawing on the key insights of afropessimism, in particular the claim that antiblackness is an ontology of our world - the origin of our personal, collective, and shared world being - and therefore saturates all forms of representation, feeling, performance, and judgement. This allows us to see how the film is melancholic, pessimistic, and largely...2022-12-0422 min
Spike Lee's Joints3 - Hollywood Shuffle and the Question of CrisisA discussion of Robert Townsend's 1987 film Hollywood Shuffle and how it both articulates and addresses a sense of crisis in making films with and about Black people. I am particularly concerned with how Townsend engages two senses of crisis. One, registering a sense of enduring violence against Black bodies, people, and life in the history of American cinema. Two, understanding crisis as the intersection of limit and possibility, in which historical violence meets closure in Hollywood Shuffle and, inside the film, through irony and hyperbole, opens up new senses of cinematic possibility.2022-12-0424 min
Spike Lee's Joints2 - Hollywood Shuffle and RepresentationAs a way of preparing for analysis of Spike Lee's cinema, I reflect here on how Robert Townsend's 1987 film Hollywood Shuffle poses a series of challenges to filmmaking and the representation of Black people and Black life on the screen. In particular, I am interested in his critique of Hollywood's racial history - a critique made by plain reportage - and how he uses humor to double our relationship to the film and also how he negotiates the precarious cultural politics of the white gaze, the Black gaze, and the interracial space of cinematic viewership. Townsend takes risks and s...2022-12-0420 min
Spike Lee's Joints1 - Preliminary Notes for Reading Spike Lee; or A Black Studies HermeneuticIn this opening episode, I describe my interpretative frame for Spike Lee's cinema, focusing on the terms and imperatives Lee brings to cinematic practice - the burden and beauty of representing Black bodies, Black people, and Black life - and how that forms what I call a Black Studies approach to film. My interpretative frame, then, follows Lee's leading clues, but embellishes them with the African American intellectual tradition and its combination of aesthetics, ethics, and politics.2022-12-0423 min