Inside the October 2008 issue:
- welcome from the community outreach coordinator
- partnering in North Minneapolis
- alumni profile
- Obama Effect
- course spotlight
- faculty spotlight
- upcoming events
- quote of the month
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
October issue of "The Village"
The October issue of The Village is now available. The Village is a newsletter for friends and alumni of the Department of African American & African Studies.
Inside the October 2008 issue:
Inside the October 2008 issue:
Monday, October 27, 2008
October 29 "coffee hour" presentation
On Wednesday, October 29, Njeri Githire will present "Contextualizing Regional Identity and Literary Imaginary: East Africa and the Indian Ocean" from 2:30-4:00 in the Geneva H. Southall Library (Social Sciences Tower 815). [Presentation Abstract]
The Indian Ocean provides important trade routes that have always connected the Middle East, Asia, and Africa into a network of communities with shared interests. Nevertheless, European presence from the sixteenth century onwards changed Indian Ocean life irrevocably. Thriving kingdoms were subdued and former relationships between religions and races thrown into disarray. With the advent of western capitalism, ancient patterns of trade soon became as extinct, almost entirely forgotten.
Githire's presentation will look at the ways in which regional writers represent the ties that bind the region into a viable community, and speak to realities that surpass colonial and nationalist categories. Indeed, if categorizing western Indian Ocean as a region of literary inquiry seems to defy neat, absolute labels, one thing remains constant: the region is invariably explored as a francophone entity. This being said, the East Africa/Indian Ocean coastal trade complex &mdash which predates colonial interference in the region &mdash coalesced frequent exchanges between the islands and the African mainland into regional networks of organizations, and communities of people with interrelated interests. It is, therefore, imperative and quite necessary to identify those regional traits that transcend territorial and linguistic claims. Failure to do so only perpetuates a different kind of colonial project: maintaining linguistic boundaries, reinforcing crucial distinctions of imperial nature.
The Indian Ocean provides important trade routes that have always connected the Middle East, Asia, and Africa into a network of communities with shared interests. Nevertheless, European presence from the sixteenth century onwards changed Indian Ocean life irrevocably. Thriving kingdoms were subdued and former relationships between religions and races thrown into disarray. With the advent of western capitalism, ancient patterns of trade soon became as extinct, almost entirely forgotten.
Githire's presentation will look at the ways in which regional writers represent the ties that bind the region into a viable community, and speak to realities that surpass colonial and nationalist categories. Indeed, if categorizing western Indian Ocean as a region of literary inquiry seems to defy neat, absolute labels, one thing remains constant: the region is invariably explored as a francophone entity. This being said, the East Africa/Indian Ocean coastal trade complex &mdash which predates colonial interference in the region &mdash coalesced frequent exchanges between the islands and the African mainland into regional networks of organizations, and communities of people with interrelated interests. It is, therefore, imperative and quite necessary to identify those regional traits that transcend territorial and linguistic claims. Failure to do so only perpetuates a different kind of colonial project: maintaining linguistic boundaries, reinforcing crucial distinctions of imperial nature.
Monday, October 20, 2008
The Obama Effect conference
From his keynote speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention to his nomination for the presidency, Senator Barack Obama has challenged conventional wisdom about race, politics, media, and generation. Participants at the October 23-25, 2008 The Obama Effect conference will discuss the compelling issues and events that have surrounded Obama's campaign. Keynote speeches will be given by Professor Joe Feagin (Texas A&M University), and immigration lawyer and media commentator Sheela Murthy.
October 22 "coffee hour" presentation
On Wednesday, October 22, Alexs Pate will present "The Adventures of the Black Arrow: Search for Libertalia Cosmology of a Novel-in-Progress" from 2:30-4:00 in the Geneva H. Southall Library (Social Sciences Tower 815). [Presentation Abstract]
Some years ago, Alexs Pate fell in love with the idea of writing a novel that told the story of the ascendance of a runaway slave from the United States to captain of a pirate ship. Ostensibly set in the 1700s, the fictional story of the Black Arrow takes us to the Spanish Main where a group of pirates stumble upon two significant treasures...neither of which are gold. One of these is a map to true freedom. In this Coffee Hour, Pate will read from the novel-in-progress and talk about the relationship between history, imagination, and ideas.
Some years ago, Alexs Pate fell in love with the idea of writing a novel that told the story of the ascendance of a runaway slave from the United States to captain of a pirate ship. Ostensibly set in the 1700s, the fictional story of the Black Arrow takes us to the Spanish Main where a group of pirates stumble upon two significant treasures...neither of which are gold. One of these is a map to true freedom. In this Coffee Hour, Pate will read from the novel-in-progress and talk about the relationship between history, imagination, and ideas.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Memories of 1963 in the 2008 Presidential Election
"Memories of 1963 in the 2008 Presidential Election: Barack Obama and the Legacy of the Civil Rights Movement"
Thursday, October 16, 12:00PM - 2:00PM
Weisman Art Museum.
Presented by Professor Kirt H. Wilson
The 2008 election season has witnessed the return of the oratorical presidential candidate in the form of Barack Obama. The content, style, and impact of his speeches have inspired some to compare his rhetoric with that of Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In his presentation, Wilson examines how Obama builds upon the civil rights traditions of speech performance, how Obama's speeches sustain a particular memory of the civil rights movement, and how his rhetoric creates political "change" in the present.
Thursday, October 16, 12:00PM - 2:00PM
Weisman Art Museum.
Presented by Professor Kirt H. Wilson
The 2008 election season has witnessed the return of the oratorical presidential candidate in the form of Barack Obama. The content, style, and impact of his speeches have inspired some to compare his rhetoric with that of Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In his presentation, Wilson examines how Obama builds upon the civil rights traditions of speech performance, how Obama's speeches sustain a particular memory of the civil rights movement, and how his rhetoric creates political "change" in the present.
World Food Day
World Food Day is on Thursday, October 16. A World Food Day Teleconference can be viewed in the Rarig Center's Studio C. The theme of the 2008 teleconference is "Choices for a Warm and Hungry Planet."
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Beyond the Pure: Readings by Writers of Color
Beyond the Pure: Readings by Writers of Color
- Thursday, October 9, 2008
- 7:00 PM at Intermedia Arts
- 2822 Lyndale Ave S, Minneapolis, MN
- Admission by donation; wine & beer reception to follow
- Featuring: Ibe, Bao Phi, and Sun Yung Shin
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