Conversations in Atlantic Theory • Elodie Silberstein on Animality & Humanity in French Late Modern Representations of Black Femininity

'Dr. Elodie Silberstein (she/her), an artist and an Adjunct Associate Professor at Pace University (New York City, United States) joins Conversations in Atlantic Theory.  Her research focuses on the representations of femininity in the visual landscape – from fine art to mass media – as a prism through which to map issues of social justice in a globalized world. She investigates the way these depictions have reflected social, racial, and environmental inequalities at a geopolitical level. Her first monograph examines the evolution of the depictions of black femininity in French visual culture. Drawing on a broad spectrum of archives extending back to the late 18th century – paintings, fashion plates, prints, photographs, and films – Animality and Humanity in French Late Modern Representations of Black Femininity (Routledge) traces the ways a patriarchal imperialism and a global capitalism have paired black women with the realm of nature to justify the exploitation both of people and of ecosystems.'