Mark Anthony Neal's Blog, page 5

Black Queer Studies: A Genealogy | A Masterclass with E. Patrick Johnson

'In this masterclass, Dr. E. Patrick Johnson traces the origins of what is now codified as the field of Black Queer Studies, beginning in the 18th Century to the present. Johnson argues that gender and sexuality have been integral to the history and study of Black people.'

A Brief But Spectacular Take on Blending the Worlds of Art, ASL and Accessibility

'Brandon Kazen-Maddox is an artist, filmmaker, acrobat and GODA, a grandchild of deaf adults. They are a cofounder of Up Until Now Collective, a non-profit that provides opportunities for deaf artists who want to bring ASL dance theater to the stage, screen and beyond. Kazen-Maddox shares their Brief But Spectacular take on blending the worlds of art, ASL and accessibility.'

theGrio: Are Black Farmers Lost in America's "Progress"?

'John Boyd Jr., the founder of the National Association of Black Farmers, and theGrio's Eboni K. Williams discuss the state of Black farmers.

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts | Whitfield Lovell: Passages | The Artist

'From the VMFA galleries where his exhibition is on view, internationally renowned artist Whitfield Lovell discusses his familial inspirations and artistic development.'

De La Soul Want to Uphold the Legacy of 'this 50-year-old Culture Called Hip-Hop'

'The legendary hip-hop group De La Soul's back catalog is finally available on digital platforms. They look back on their genre-shaping career and remember their bandmate Trugoy the Dove.'

New Books Network: J.T. Roane | 'Dark Agoras: Insurgent Black Social Life and the Politics of Place'

 

'In Dark Agoras: Insurgent Black Social Life and the Politics of Place (NYU Press, 2023), author J. T. Roane shows how working-class Black communities cultivated two interdependent modes of insurgent assembly--dark agoras--in twentieth century Philadelphia. He investigates the ways they transposed rural imaginaries about and practices of place as part of their spatial resistances and efforts to contour industrial neighborhoods. In acts that ranged from the mundane acts of refashioning intimate spaces to expressly confrontational and liberatory efforts to transform the city's social and ecological arrangement, these communities challenged the imposition of Progressive and post-Progressive visions for urban order seeking to enclose or displace them.'

Helga | Silhouettist Kara Walker on Early Fame and Symbols of Black Servitude

"There are whole histories of African American artists wrestling with stereotypical depictions and minstrelsy - and it seemed worthy anyway to me as an artist to consider them as some kind of artwork."— Kara Walker

'American painter and silhouettist Kara Walker rose to international acclaim at the age of 28 as one of the youngest-ever recipients of a MacArthur Genius grant. Appearing in exhibitions, museums, and public collections worldwide, Walker’s work wrestles with the ongoing psychological injury caused by the legacy of slavery. In this episode, Walker shares how she navigates her own inner conflicts, how a curiosity for history led her to the silhouette, and what happens when making use of symbols of Black servitude brings one acclaim.'

Left of Black S13 · E19 | Left of Black | Dr. Casarae Abdul-Ghani on Civil Unrest and the Black Arts Movement

What was the cultural production of the Civil Rights Era and beyond during the Black Arts Movement of the 1960's and 1970's? Dr. Casarae Lavada Abdul-Ghani,  Professor of English at Temple University joins Dr. Mark Anthony Neal to discuss her new book, Start a Riot! Civil Unrest in Black Arts Movement Drama, Fiction, and Poetry, published by University Press of Mississippi.

Conversations in Atlantic Theory • Darieck Scott on Keeping it Unreal: Black Queer Fantasy and Superhero Comics

'In this discussion, Fatima Seck hosts Dr. Darieck Scott, a professor of African American Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. He is the author of many books including  Keeping It Unreal: Black Queer Fantasy and Superhero Comics, published by NYU Press in 2022, which is the occasion for our conversation. In this discussion, we explore representations of Blackness in fantasy-infused genres: superhero comic books, erotic comics, fantasy and science-fiction genre literature, as well as contemporary literary “realist” fiction centering fantastic conceits.'

The Africanist Podcast | Decolonizing the Mind: In Conversation with Ngūgī wa Thiong’o

'In this episode, renowned Kenyan writer and thinker Ngūgī wa Thiong’o discusses crucial issues in African literature including the 1962 African Writers Conference in Kampala, language use and the specter of (neo)colonialism in literary productions and African development. He also talks about sociopolitical issues in contemporary Africa as well as personal challenges he’s faced in the past few years.

Co-Host: Dr. Baba Badji (Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of French and the Department of English, Rutgers University).'