Peter BenjaminsonMary Wells: The Tumultuous Life of Motown’s First Superstar

March 9, 2013

[Cross-posted from New Books in Pop Music] Who is Motown’s first real star? The answer, of course, is Mary Wells, singer of such classics as “My Guy,” “Bye Bye Baby,” “The One Who Really Loves You,” “You Beat Me to the Punch,” and “Two Lovers,” among others. All of these hits were released in just [...]

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Michael P. JeffriesPaint the White House Black

March 1, 2013

[Cross-posted from New Books in Political Science] Over the last year, this podcast has featured several authors who’ve examined the presidency of Barack Obama. John Sides, Daniel Kriess, and Enid Logan each wrote about the election campaign of the President. Michael P. Jeffries steps back and places the President into a larger theoretical conversation about race and [...]

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Andra GillespieThe New Black Politician: Cory Booker, Newark, and Post-Racial America

February 19, 2013

[Cross-posted from New Books in Political Science] Andra Gillespie is the author of The New Black Politician: Cory Booker, Newark, and Post-Racial America (NYU Press, 2012). She is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Emory University and earned her Ph.D. from Yale University. Her new book focuses on the rise of one of the most well-known mayors in [...]

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Stephen G. HallA Faithful Account of the Race: African American Historical Writing in Nineteenth-Century America

February 8, 2013

Historian Stephen Hall passionately engages in the history of nineteenth-century African American intellectual life in his first monograph, A Faithful Account of the Race: African American Historical Writing in Nineteenth-Century America (University of North Carolina Press, 2009). This work traces the long nineteenth-century and how black historical writers evoked various themes at different moments, including ancient African history, [...]

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Richard W. Leeman and Bernard Duffy, eds.The Will of a People: A Critical Anthology of Great African American Speeches

January 30, 2013

The Will of a People: A Critical Anthology of Great African American Speeches (Southern Illinois University Press, 2012) is a compendium of 22 orations delivered by African Americans over a span of over 265 years. Co-edited by frequent collaborators Richard Leeman and Bernard Duffy, both professors of communication studies, both interested in the American tradition [...]

Interview with Richard W. Leeman [ 42:30 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
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Carla L. PetersonBlack Gotham: A Family History of African Americans in Nineteenth-Century New York City

January 18, 2013

Digging up our roots seems to be the thing these days.  There are a host of genealogy resources available for anyone who cares to (re)discover their familial past.  Still, in the Americas people of African descent who want to take part in this digging encounter barriers; often there are gaps in the family histories of those whose [...]

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Marcia Alesan DawkinsClearly Invisible: Racial Passing and the Color of Cultural Identity

January 11, 2013

Performance queen RuPaul once famously quipped that “we’re born naked; the rest is drag”—meaning everyone dons identity, performs one’s concept of self within our social networks, e.g., family, community, work. Marcia Alesan Dawkins takes RuPaul’s theory further in her new book, Clearly Invisible: Racial Passing and the Color of Cultural Identity (Baylor University Press, 2012). [...]

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Curtis CrislerPulling Scabs

December 20, 2012

Curtis L. Crisler is a prolific poet, novelist, and mix-genre author who writes about the American experience. In his work, Crisler turns a particularly keen eye toward the Midwest, masculinity, and jazz. It seems he has published a book a year since 2007, gaining the attention of critics and winning several major awards. Currently, he [...]

Interview with Curtis Crisler [ 47:15 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
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Sikivu HutchinsonMoral Combat: Black Atheists, Gender Politics, and the Values Wars

December 13, 2012

Sikivu Hutchinson’s book Moral Combat: Black Atheists, Gender Politics, and the Values Wars (Infidel Books, 2011) is a brave examination of African American religious perspectives vis a vis progressive racial politics, gender relations, and cultural values. She tackles uncomfortable questions about the possibly excessive role of religiosity among African Americans, especially woman. And she wonders [...]

Interview with Sikivu Hutchinson [ 31:04 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
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Karen E. FieldsRacecraft: The Soul of Inequality in American Life

November 11, 2012

[Cross-posted from New Books in Sociology] Racism is a process by which people are segregated and discriminated against based on their race, and race is defined as a set of physical characteristics which certain groups share. Or is it?  In Racecraft: The Soul of Inequality in American Life (Verso Books, 2012), Karen E. Fields and [...]

Interview with Karen E. Fields [ 41:44 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
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