IRADAC Presents a Round-Table: Critical Perspectives and Current Trends in Afro-Latinx Studies

6:30pm – 8:00pm
12 April 2019
CUNY Grad Center, Room C197

Round-table panel:

  • William Luis, Vanderbilt University
  • Sophie Maríñez, Borough of Manhattan Community College
  • Jill T. Richardson, The Graduate Center & Borough of Manhattan Community College
  • Silvio Torres-Saillant, Syracuse University

Moderated by Richard Pérez, John Jay College

Above text and image adapted from webpage.

Recent Publication – Journal of West Indian Literature: Special Issue on Marlon James

Journal of West Indian Literature
Volume 26, Issue 2
November 2018

The Journal of West Indian Literature presents a special issue dedicated to the novels of Marlon James. “From his first novel, John Crow’s Devil, that engages queer sexual identity, religious dogmatism and violence, through his outstanding second novel, The Book of Night Women, that focuses on slavery, racial hegemony and female agency, to The Brief History of Seven Killings, which looks at the political upheaval of the 1970s, transnational crime and popular culture, James has created dramatic renditions of Jamaican history.” (CFP)

The Journal of West Indian Literature (JWIL) is a UWI-led Caribbeanist project invested in highlighting and critically examining the prolific literary production of the Anglophone Caribbean. The journal publishes articles in English that are the result of scholarly research in literary textuality (fiction, poetry, drama, film, theory and criticism) of the English speaking (cricket playing) Caribbean and in translation from other parts of the archipelago.  JWIL also publishes book reviews, and, in time, hopes to include reviews of theatre and film productions.


Continue reading Recent Publication – Journal of West Indian Literature: Special Issue on Marlon James

The Jamaican 1950s: ​A Symposium

4-6 April 2019
University of Pennsylvania 

As we think about the long 1950s (1948-1962) in Jamaica, we think in terms of a series of displacements. The period begins with the sailing of the H.M.T. Empire Windrush to London, the establishment of the University of the West Indies, and Evon Blake’s integration of the Myrtle Bank pool. The 1949 elections result in another, though reduced, Jamaica Labour Party victory, and the solidification of the two-party system. Throughout the 1950s we see the beginnings of developmentalism in the aftermath of the Moyne Commission; the deepening of the Cold War and the expulsion of the left from the People’s National Party; the growth of Rastafari, and the emergence of scholarship on the movement; and the stirrings of a “folk” arts movement, as well as the emergence of aesthetic languages of painters like David Pottinger and Albert Huie. On the global stage, the 1950s inaugurates a growing recognition of Jamaican popular music through figures like Byron Lee and Don Drummond; of Jamaican sprinting prowess through Olympic medalists Arthur Wint, Herb McKenley, and George Rhoden; and of literary influence through the publication of Vic Reid’s New Day, Roger Mais’ Brother Man, and John Hearne’s Voices Under the Window, among others. The firm establishment of the social sciences at the UCWI and the appearance of texts like Douglass Hall’s Free Jamaica, and M.G. Smith’s work on pluralism generates an interrogation of both the legacies of the past and the promises of nationhood. Within other organs, too, these legacies and promises were publicly debated. The period also marks the moment during which questions of “women” and “gender” begin to emerge on the scene of scholarly, literary, and artistic production. The period ends with the dismantling of the West Indies Federation and the independence of Jamaica and Trinidad. 

The long 1950s, therefore, encompass the pivotal moments that set into motion the infrastructures of modern political, social, economic, and artistic activity. They also bring into relief struggles over the appropriate spheres of interaction – national, regional, pan-African, diasporic – thus inaugurating an ongoing process of disciplining (and challenging) the scales at which we have sought to organize and imagine our futures. By the end of the decade, we see that the earlier twentieth century story of an emergent civil society in Jamaica is displaced by the story of political society. The result of this has been a particular kind of formal decolonization, one that lacks some of the decolonial social and cultural visions of earlier moments, and one that also resists those forms of decoloniality being enacted in the popular realm. Looking at the long 1950s closely and patiently, therefore, gives us windows into the contestations over the scale and scope of Jamaica’s political futures during the moment just before they sedimented into nationalism.

Program
Thursday, 4 April
Halney Auditorium, The Penn Museum of Anthropology and Archaeology
Continue reading The Jamaican 1950s: ​A Symposium

Research Associate for the IRADAC

Review of applications will begin on 1 April 2019.

The Institute for Research on the African Diaspora in the Americas and the Caribbean (IRADAC) was founded to address the African presence in the Americas through scholarly research and public programs for the betterment of the public as well as the academic community. The Institute’s mission is to foster understanding and critical interpretation of the history, development, conditions, status and cultures of the diverse peoples of the African Diaspora.

As part of the Provost’s Diversity Initiative, the CUNY Graduate Center seeks a Research Associate/Post-Doctoral Fellow to support the development of early career scholars from diverse backgrounds (with particular attention to historically underrepresented groups in the academy) who show promise as innovative scholars in the field of Africana Studies. The incumbent will participate in activities related to IRADAC and to the Ph.D. program of his/her own discipline. The Post-Doctoral Fellow will engage in his/her own original research and scholarship and will publish the results of his/her research. S/he will present the research to scholars and the public through conferences, seminars, workshops and/or symposia thus furthering the mission of IRADAC as it pertains to the African Diaspora. Teaching opportunities are possible with an adjunct appointment. This position reports to the Director of IRADAC.

The appointment will be for the academic year 2019-2020, effective August 26, 2019. Continue reading Research Associate for the IRADAC

Practicing Translation, Translating Politics

4-5 April 2019
Skylight Room
CUNY Grad Center

This symposium will mark the end of an academic year in which the Committee on Globalization and Social Change has engaged the issue of “Translation.” Taking a broad view of the topic, we have treated translation as a practice and process of carrying across, of thinking and acting across various types of boundaries, whether real, reified, or imagined. We are especially interested in the profound challenges, generative possibilities, and unanticipated outcomes that follow attempts to pursue, discover, or fashion connections across singular, incommensurable, and untranslatable domains. At a time when so many planetary predicaments require translocal responses and alternatives, the politics of translation – the peril and promise of carrying across – emerges as an especially timey issue. We hope that this gathering of scholars working in different fields and world areas from various theoretical perspectives will help us to think together about the entwined political, ethical, and aesthetic aspects of translation today.

Of special note for Caribbeanists is Session III of the Practicing Translation, Translating Politics symposium, at 3pm on Friday, featuring presentations by Kaiama L. Glover and Brent Hayes Edwards. Their presentations are entitled, “Blackness’ in French: On Translation, Haiti, and the Matter of Race” and “Diasporic Literature and the Task of the Black Translator,” respectively.

Continue reading Practicing Translation, Translating Politics

MLA 2020: The 1970s and The Caribbean Panel

9-12th January 2020
Seattle, Washington

CFP Deadline: 15 March 2019

The presidential theme for the 2020 MLA Annual Convention is Being Human. MLA members are invited to reflect on the role of literature and language in defining the nature of the human in the face of what appears to be its diminishment and to provoke debates on the role of the humanities in a changing world. What has been the role of the creative imagination in marking out the social spaces of what we call humanity? How has literature been called upon to bear witness to both the possibility and limits of the human in the modern world? How has the human condition been thought and written about in diverse historical periods and geographic spaces? Can literature and its criticism continue to inspire the desire for human freedom in an age of intolerance? What is the role of a diverse community of writers and readers in the thinking of the world and our relation to it?

Rafe Dalleo and Sheri Harrison are seeking  presentations on the significance of the 1970s to cultural engagements with the Caribbean’s postcolonial history. Email your 300-word abstract and 1-page CV to Rafe Dalleo (prdalleo@gmail.com) and Sheri Harrison (harrisonsl@missouri.edu ) by March 15, 2019.

Above texts adapted from webpages.

Visiting Assistant Professor in Afro-Latinx Studies

Application Deadline: 15 March 2019

The Department of Social and Cultural Analysis at New York University invites applications for a Visiting Assistant Professor (non-tenure track) in the field of Afro-Latinx studies. The appointment will begin on September 1, 2019, pending administrative and budgetary approval. This is a one-year appointment, with a possibility of renewal for up to three years. The candidate is expected to teach a 2/2 load.

We seek interdisciplinary applicants whose research complements and intersects with our existing Latino/a/x/ faculty and the diverse programs that are housed in the department. For more information about the NYU Department of Social and Cultural Analysis, visit our website.

Candidates must have completed a Ph.D. in a relevant discipline by May 2019.

Application Instructions:
Submit the following documents via interfolio by March 15th.

  • a cover letter
  • curriculum vitae
  • a 20-page writing sample
  • a sample syllabus.

Above text adapted from webpage.

Haitian Studies Association 31st Annual Conference

Haitian Studies in Changing Climates

17-19th October 2019
Gainesville, Florida

Plenary Deadline: 15 April 2019
CFP Deadline:
 1 May 2019


Philippe Dodard 48”x48” Untitiled 2014. Acrylic on canvas.

Haitian Studies has evolved over the past thirty years from a small group of dedicated scholars, mostly in the humanities, to a robust interdisciplinary association ready to broaden its horizons, address unique challenges and embrace new opportunities.  This year we will go to the largest public university in the Sunshine State, home to the largest Haitian Diaspora.  We envision a large scope of discussions that will allow us not only to reflect on these important historical Diasporic ties and their socio-economic implications but also explore the tracks of tropical storms and hurricanes that bind our destinies.   Continue reading Haitian Studies Association 31st Annual Conference

Black Imaginaries, Scandinavian Diasporas

March 5-7, 2019

Join Jeannette Ehlers (Denmark/Trinidad), Ellen Nyman (Sweden), and La Vaughn Belle (St. Croix) for three events in a series of conversations on the aesthetics of decolonization. These artists will discuss how their art practices across different media are designed to provoke conversation about colonial legacies and contemporary racial politics on the ground in Sweden, Denmark, and St. Croix.

All events are free and open to the public.

Imagining Race in Scandinavia: Panel Discussion
Featuring Jeannette Ehlers, Ellen Nyman, and La Vaughn Belle, moderated by Monica Miller
6:00pm – 7:30pm
5 March 2019
Event Oval, Diana Center
3009 Broadway, New York, NY 10027

Faculty Seminar and Luncheon
Featuring Jeannette Ehlers, Ellen Nyman, and La Vaughn Belle
12:00pm – 1:30pm
6 March 2019
BCRW Conference Room, 6th Floor, Milstein Center
31 Claremont Avenue, New York, NY 10027
RSVP to Tami Navarro at tnavarro@barnard.edu

Artists’ Presentation
Featuring Jeannette Ehlers, Ellen Nyman, and La Vaughn Belle, Moderated by Tami Navarro
6:00pm
7 March 2019
Digital Humanities Center, Ground Floor, Milstein Center
31 Claremont Avenue, New York, NY 10027

Continue reading Black Imaginaries, Scandinavian Diasporas

Senior Lecturer/Lecturer (Creative Writing) in the Department of Literatures in English

Application Deadline: 11 March 2019

The University of the West Indies (UWI) is a dynamic, international institution serving the countries of the Commonwealth Caribbean. Its faculties offer a wide range of undergraduate, masters and doctoral programmes in Humanities and Education, Science and Technology, Engineering, Law, Medical Sciences and the Social Sciences. At 70 years old, the institution represents the oldest of its kind within the region and has been responsible for producing outstanding leaders who have made remarkable contributions to regional development.

Applications are invited from suitably qualified individuals for the post of:
SENIOR LECTURER/LECTURER IN LITERATURES IN ENGLISH Department of Literatures in English.

The successful candidate will be required to:

  • Teach, research and participate in the strategic planning and management of teaching and learning, including curricula development within the Department and wider faculty
  • Contribute to the life of the University and advance teaching, research and community outreach

Essential Qualifications And Experience: Continue reading Senior Lecturer/Lecturer (Creative Writing) in the Department of Literatures in English

Video Memorial for Alanna Lockward

CFP Deadline: 31 March 2019

Born in the Dominican Republic, decolonial scholar, curator, author, journalist, and friend, Alanna Lockward passed away tragically on Monday, January 7, 2019. With her passing, the world has lost a dedicated trailblazer in the fight against anti-Haitian, anti-black racism in the Dominican Republic and an ally to decolonial movements throughout the world.

In honor of Alanna Lockward, the Haiti-Dominican Republic section of the Latin American Studies Association (LASA), together with other friends of the deceased, will celebrate Alanna Lockward’s life and legacy at the 2019 LASA Conference, hosted in Boston, MA, May 25-27, 2019.

We are calling for submissions to help us create a video memorial collage in which Alanna’s colleagues and friends will reflect upon her life and work. We will collect self-recorded digital submissions throughout March. We will then edit the submissions, and present the video collage at the “Alanna Lockward Memorial” hosted by the LASA Haiti-DR section. The memorial will be held during the 2019 LASA conference on May 25, at 8pm, location TBA.

If you would like to participate, please follow the instructions below: Continue reading Video Memorial for Alanna Lockward

Visiting Assistant Professor of Africana Studies

Review of applications will begin on 15 March 2019.

The Africana Studies department at Davidson College invites applications for a one year Visiting Assistant Professor to teach in the Africana Studies department beginning July 1, 2019. The successful candidate will have a strong commitment to interdisciplinary undergraduate education, mentoring majors, and program development. The candidate’s field is open, but candidates with a record of offering transnational courses in performance studies, environmental studies, gender and sexuality studies, history, and public health are encouraged to apply. The successful candidate will have three or more years of full-time teaching experience at the college or university level and be able to teach required courses for the major, such as AFR: 101 Introduction to Africana Studies and AFR 300: Major Thinkers in Africana Studies. Travel and summer research funding are available. Continue reading Visiting Assistant Professor of Africana Studies

Postdoctoral and Faculty Fellowships in Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition

Application Deadline: 1 March 2019

The Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition, part of the MacMillan Center at Yale University, is accepting applications for two types of postdoctoral and faculty fellowships that advance the study of slavery, its role in the creation of the modern world, and its legacies. They are: the Postdoctoral and Faculty Fellowships (one-month and four-month) and the annual Human Trafficking and Modern Day Slavery Fellowship (academic year).

The Gilder Lehrman Center will award two four-month fellowships, one in the fall semester (from September through December 2019), and one in the spring semester (from either January through April 2020 or February through May 2020). The Gilder Lehrman Center will award several one-month fellowships between September 2019 and May 2020. The GLC will award one full-year Human Trafficking and Modern Day Slavery Fellowship in 2019-2020. These are in-residence positions. During their time in New Haven, fellows have access to Yale University libraries and resources, office space at the Gilder Lehrman Center, give a public lecture, record a podcast interview, and participate in the intellectual life at the Center.

For the 2019-2020 fellowships, highest priority is given to applications that are fully complete by  March 1, 2019. For further information regarding specific fellowships and the application process see the Gilder Lehrman Center website.

Above text adapted from email.

 

Researcher in Caribbean Studies

Application Deadline: 10 March 2019

The Koninklijk Instituut voor Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde (KITLV) / The Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies is a research institute for the interdisciplinary study of Southeast Asia and the Caribbean, with a focus on Indonesia and the ‘Dutch’ Caribbean. We are looking for a talented, hardworking and experienced researcher in Caribbean Studies. You will conduct creative research with regular dissemination of your results through appropriate scholarly outlets and are able to apply for external project funding from national and international funding bodies. We expect you to make a relevant contribution to the public debate on Caribbean parts of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the relations within the Kingdom, and to represent the field to external audiences and in the media.

Continue reading Researcher in Caribbean Studies

VENEZUELA: What’s happening? What’s next?

6:30pm – 9pm
11 February 2019
King Juan Carlos Center, Auditorium 

New York University
RSVP here

For years Venezuela has been mired in a seemingly unending crisis – political impasse, economics chaos, social upheaval. Yet over the past two weeks that crisis appears, at last, to have reached a tipping point. A notoriously fractious opposition has rallied behind a single, youthful leader – Juan Guaidó – who has won the recognition and support of most of the western world. Meanwhile despite growing popular discontent even among former chavista strongholds, Nicolas Maduro remains in power with the support of the military as well as global players like Russia, China, and Turkey. As the stalemate grows and the crisis deepens, what possible futures are in store for Venezuela and it’s people? Is open war on the table? What role should the international community play? And how are Venezuelans themselves responding?

Join us for a conversation about the current situation in Venezuela by a panel of distinguished scholars and experts on the South American country and the region – Beatriz Borges, Dorothy Kronick, Francisco Rodríguez, and Christopher Sabatini. This conversation will be moderated by CLACS faculty members Patricio Navia (Liberal Studies) and Alejandro Velasco (Gallatin, History).

This event is free and open to the public. Co-sponsored by: Urban Democracy Lab, and North American Congress on Latin America (NACLA).

Above text adapted from webpage.