Africana Studies Commons^™

Reshaping Identity Politics: Capitalising On Shari‘A Debate In The Sudan, Musa Adam Abdul-Jalil

The Journal of Social Encounters

The relationship between religious identity, ethnic identity, and politics has always been a problematic one, especially in plural societies like Sudan. This article is an attempt to understand the reasons behind the insistence of the popular parties of the Muslim majority in Northern Sudan on establishing shar’ia law as the law of the land. By using secondary data on party programmes, public opinion, and an analysis of political events, I reconstruct the evolution of the debate in order to identify its prime movers. My conclusion is that this debate emerged as a result of the quest for a national identity …

Darfur And Sudan: The People, Politics, Conflict, And Recovery: An Introduction, Mawa Mohamed, Ronald Pagnucco

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Archetypal Energies And Global Mental Health, Carroy U. Ferguson

Psychology Faculty Publication Series

As a keynote speaker at the Global Mental Health Conference 2024, held at Sophia University, Costa Mesa, CA, in-person and virtually, August 16-18, 2024, my topic was "Archetypal Energies As A Framework for Self-Empowerment and Well Being". The theme of this 2024 global conference was: Enlightened Minds, Compassionate Hearts, and Embodied Wisdom. To supplement my keynote address, I wrote this blog article titled "Archetypal Energies and Global Mental Health".

Self-Defense In The Face Of Genocide: A Comparative Study Of The Rwandan Patriotic Front And The March 23 Movement, Frank Okyere Osei, Samuel Budoi

The Microdynamics of Mass Atrocity Working Paper Series

This paper examines the narratives underpinning two cases of self-defense in response to the threat or occurrence of genocide. It delves into the nuances of two movements: the Rwandan Patriotic Front in Rwanda (RPF) and the March 23 Movement (M23) in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Both movements emerged in response to perceived genocidal threats and adopted self-defense narratives to justify their actions. The paper traces the historical contexts, key actors, and agendas that shaped these movements, highlighting the RPF's evolution from a military group into a dominant political force in Rwanda, and the M23's role in protecting Tutsi communities …

Book Review For Renegade Rhymes, Meng Ren

Journal of Hip Hop Studies

Renegade Rhymes delves into the personas, lyrics, and civic engagement of Taiwanese rappers, who leverage rap as a platform to navigate masculine politics, provide social critiques on Taiwan’s neoliberal economy and demanding work environment, and revitalize indigenous languages. Spanning from the post-martial law era spanning from the 1980s to the conclusion of the Nationalist Party period in 2016, Meredith Schweig focuses on the “old-school” generation of rappers, born between 1975 and 1985, whose formative years align with this pivotal historical period. Schweig begins by charting the history of Taiwan rap through interviews, examining three main threads: xiha, raoshe, …

The Spatio-Temporality Of J Dilla’S Sound Aesthetic, Masahide T. Kato

Journal of Hip Hop Studies

Book review

DILLA TIME: Life and After Life of J Dilla, the Hip-Hop Producer Who Reinvented Rhythm by Dan Charnas (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2022).

Review: We Were Hyphy, Lavar Pope

Journal of Hip Hop Studies

No abstract provided.

“Ain’T Nuthin Wrong With Being A Trojan Man”: Discourse On Safe-Sex In Rap Music, 1985-1995, Christopher D. Rounds, Kareem R. Muhammad

Journal of Hip Hop Studies

This essay methodically tracks references to safe-sex in rap music and analyzes their implications. Reviewing over 3,000 songs from 1985 to 1995, the authors found that the tone and messages of these references differed substantially. While many artists celebrated risky and indiscriminate sexual behavior– their work marred by a misogny and homophobia that often stigmatized persons living with sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)– many other artists portrayed safe-sex in a positive light, either as a responsible approach to sexual behavior, or as a pragmatic tool of urban survival. These songs normalized the use of condoms, and educated listeners by raising awareness …

From Page To Stage To Lyrics Database To Page: Breakbeat Poets, Lyrics Databases, And The Textual Capacity Of Hip Hop Verse, Victorio Reyes Asili

Journal of Hip Hop Studies

As a multimedia artistic movement, Hip Hop is known for its contributions across the arts, from music to dance to graphic arts. However, Hip Hop is also a form of poetry, which we can call Hip Hop verse, and it is rooted in performance but also exists in the world as a textual art. While scholars have analyzed Hip Hop’s contributions to the world of poetry, there has yet to be a proper accounting for Hip Hop’s function as a textual poetry that is regularly consumed by Hip Hoppas. Accordingly, this study is focused on Hip Hop’s role as a …

Hip Hop At 50: Reflections From Our Students, Dana Horton, Lavar Pope, Travis Harris

Journal of Hip Hop Studies

Hip Hop transcends time and space, however, its confluence in the Bronx in 1973 is worth commemorating. During the celebration of fifty years of Hip Hop, the authors asked their students to reflect on fifty years of Hip Hop. In particular, the authors asked students to discuss why Hip Hop is still popular in 2023, as well as the direction the culture has taken. Students are at the forefront of keeping Hip Hop culture alive, and their contributions to our 50th Anniversary are valuable.

A similar question was asked in the authors' courses: “Hip hop started 50 years ago in …

Why We Need A Long View Of Abolition To End The School-To-Prison Pipeline, Karen Sotiropoulos

History Faculty Publications

Drawing on experiential, literary and historical narratives, this article connects the long history shaping the school-to-prison-pipeline to the contemporary experiences of Black youth in today’s educational system. It maps abolitionism from its origins as a movement to end slavery through the ongoing Black freedom struggles that have challenged state and vigilante violence throughout the eras of Jim Crow and Civil Rights to today’s efforts to dismantle the prison state. By situating the criminalization of African American education from our nation’s founding until the present with particular focus on the post Brown years, the article stresses how policies that funded policing …

Inciting Peace From The Inside Out, Stephen G. Adubato, Ebere Bosco Amakwe, Katherine Hinic, Sarita Maldjian, Forrest Pritchett, Jon Radwan, Nicholas Sooy, Chad Thralls

Conferences

Violence and war can be incited, and so can peace. This volume shares select addresses and responses from Seton Hall University’s 2/7/23 conference “Inciting Peace From The Inside Out.” A multi-disciplinary range of scholars each addresses how reconciliation processes grow from spiritual dynamics. Multiple religious traditions teach contemplative praxes that prioritize and nurture personal reflection oriented toward peace. Social conflicts divide, so engaging them with a partisan orientation only serves to escalate harmful rifts. In contrast, bringing personal awareness and sensitivity, spiritual balance, and holistic integral perspective to conflict can transcend divisions and work toward unity. This volume is supported …

Phillis Wheatley Peters’S British Publicity Campaign, Susan Carlile

ABO: Interactive Journal for Women in the Arts, 1640–1830

Scholarship has tended to place its focus on Phillis Wheatley Peters’ unsuccessful efforts in America, followed by an account of one British figure, the Countess of Huntingdon, who patronized the publication of Poems on Various Subjects in London in 1773. However, the chronology of the British campaign, the modes of print publication, and the locations in which Phillis Wheatley Peters’ words were published deserve closer attention. This essay highlights previously unknown or unremarked upon British publications outside London, the Drewry Derby Mercury, the Ipswich Journal, the Hibernian, and John Gillies’s Memoirs of the Life of the Reverend George Whitefield, …

Black Transnationalism And Diaspora In Hip Hop: An Analysis Of Billy Woods’ “Asylum”, Rayli Dornan

Anthós

This paper examines Billy Woods' 2022 song, "Asylum" from the album Aethiopes, situating it between the frameworks of Black transnationalism and diaspora. Woods critiques colonialism and constructs a collective Black cultural identity through lyricism and sampling, despite the universally destructive effects of colonialism. The methodology of this paper involves close reading and listening to "Asylum," supported by theoretical perspectives on Black transnationalism and diaspora. This research also incorporates historical context and Woods' personal background to frame the song's narrative. Key materials include the song's lyrics, its samples, and relevant academic literature on colonialism and Black identity. "Asylum" critiques colonialism …

Determining Factors For Improved Uptake Of Harm Reduction Services In The United States: A Study Of Inclusive, Culturally Sensitive Messaging, Lauretta Ekanem Omale

Dissertations

Harm reduction refers to public health policies and programs aimed at decreasing the adverse consequences associated with drug use. While harm reduction services (e.g., syringe exchange programs) can mitigate health risks, marginalized groups face barriers to service access and utilization, partially due to ineffective messaging approaches that fail to align with cultural values and experiences. A one-size-fits-all approach to messaging can negatively impact service utilization, health outcomes, and health disparities. Ineffective communication can lead to poor adherence to treatment, poorer health outcomes, and increased adverse events.

Culturally insensitive communication contributes to stigma, mistrust, and lack of perceived relevance, discouraging service …

A Journey To A Black Woman’S (Read Black Girl’S) Joy And Her Story Of Coming Home, Brittany Lauren Brock

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This is an auto/ethnography about the self-actualizing journey of reclaiming storytelling as my native tongue and my journey to joy. Throughout, using my story and the stories of so many others, I not only lay out the wounds (the pain, the loss, then the hope that comes) within the academy and outside in the world but I also use storytelling as a tool of healing—my tool of healing—to show how I wrote myself free.

When Black women (read Black girls) go through The Reckoning (the moment we realize something isn’t right with how we are perceived by others) …

Le Rôle Des Médias Dans La "Crise Anglophone" Au Cameroun, Arrayán Chia Vanegas-Farrara

CISLA Senior Integrative Projects

This essay is about a country with twenty-six million people, including 1.5 million refugees and a lot of problems due to the Anglophone crisis. It gives an in-depth view on the complex yet vibrant multilingualism in Cameroon with over 240 ethnic groups and many languages. The economically disadvantaged parts of Cameroon are the Anglophone regions such as the North-West with poverty rates at 57% and the South-West at 21% respectively for the year 2019. The article reflects upon how colonial legacies have given rise to contemporary social uneasiness in Cameroon, mostly within Anglophone regions. Additionally, this article highlights how economic …

Cliffhanger, Micah Mickles

MFA in Visual Art

I am Micah Mickles, a mixed-media visual artist in St. Louis, Missouri. My artwork is deeply rooted in my personal experiences and serves as a memorial and monument to counteract the enduring effects of grief and loss. What sets my work apart is the transformative impact of my everyday encounters, inspired by my 14 years of experience working at Trader Joe's. These encounters have led me to reflect on my profound connections with diverse communities. By delving into the hidden narratives of mundane materials encountered in the workplace, I prompt a reexamination of convenience and supply chain origins. Inspired by …

Victim Or Villain: Female Resilience And Agency In The Face Of Trauma In Chimamanda Adichie’S, Purple Hibiscus (2003) And Tsitsi Dangarembga’S, Nervous Conditions (1988), Adaobi Juliet Chukwuma

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As long as disparities persist in the way women are treated as compared to their male counterparts, the issue of gender will continue to call forth literary productions. For this reason, female writers are on a mission to dismantle the stereotypes that keep women confined to societal roles. Grounded in a feminist framework, this study focuses on the gender disparity theme in Chimamanda Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus and Tsitsi Dangarembga’s Nervous Conditions. The aim is to examine how these writers represent the trauma of women living in an African patriarchal system. The traumatic experiences of the female characters in both texts …

Bedeviled Beauty: My Journey Through White American Theater Institutions, J'Aila C. Price

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Game console: Oculus Quest

World: American Theater Institutions

Player: Minority

Place: United States

Level: “Ain’t no way.”

This thesis explores the contrast between the Westernized philosophies ingrained in my education and my identity as a Black female artist. It sheds light on the difficulties of pursuing higher education in the arts and the gaps that arise from limited exposure to culturally diverse Black resources, revealing the systemic issues in Western performance education. The paper also discusses the insights gained from my journey as a Black female artist, focusing on my thesis performance of Blood at the Root, which is …

Cinema, Black Suffering, And Theodicy: Modern God, Terry Lindvall

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a book review of Shayne Lee, Cinema, Black Suffering, and Theodicy: Modern God (Rowman and Littlefield, 2022).

A Performative Model For Conducting Critical Race Analysis: Josephine Baker, Modern Dance, And Utilizing Narrative To Transform Legal Doctrine, Patrick C. Brayer

Faculty Works

This article proposes a performative model for analyzing the relationship between race and law by integrating narrative, modern dance, and performance as interpretive tools. Focusing on Josephine Baker’s activism and her 1952 return to St. Louis, the paper demonstrates how storytelling and artistic expression can expand legal scholarship and transform understandings of racial injustice. By bridging legal studies with performance, African American history, and cultural analysis, the work illustrates how embodied expression provides new pathways for confronting structural racism, transgenerational trauma, and the pursuit of social justice.

The Breakbeat Poets: Translocal Placemaking In The Contemporary Midwestern Lyric, Andy Oler

Publications

In the introduction to the Haymarket Books collection The BreakBeat Poets: New American Poetry in the Age of Hip-Hop (2015), co-editor Kevin Coval asserts that the anthologized poems are not simply influenced by hip-hop; “these poems are hip-hop.”¹ The anthology’s focus on a genre, a cultural phenomenon, might seem like an odd fit for a special issue on placemaking. Its national frame might seem too expansive for the study of regionalism (though there is a history, established by James Shortridge, of conflating the Midwest with the nation).² But The BreakBeat Poets is also attentive to more precise versions …

Review Of For God And My Country: Catholic Leadership In Modern Uganda, John Ashworth

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Review Of After Genocide: Memory And Reconciliation In Rwanda, Selina Gallo-Cruz

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Review Of Mathare: An Urban Baston Of Anti-Oppression Struggle In Kenya, Mugo Patrick Mugo

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Review Of Water Management And Violent Conflict In East Africa: Scarcity And Security In Kenya And Uganda, Ken Conca

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

The Mini Syllabus: Locating And Engaging With Black Women In Popular Culture, Katrina Marie Overby

Feminist Pedagogy

No abstract provided.

Real #Hotgirl Sh*T: Practical Application Of Intersectional Re-Presentation Instruction, Jessica F. Love

Feminist Pedagogy

This critical commentary outlines how the Real #HotGirl Sh*T: Megan Thee Stallion & Mediated Hip Hop, Black Feminist and Communication Pedagogy promotes active learning via popular culture and digital media, and it provides a practical model for employing intersectionality in classroom settings. Previous critical media pedagogy exploring minority media re-presentation primarily focused on the effects of master narratives produced by traditional media. This syllabus's incorporation of social and digital media helps students understand how collective minority groups use and interact with media as a political tool to challenge re-presentational regimes. More importantly, this syllabus employs real-world examples of popular culture …

Savage, Classy, Bougie And Ratchet Feminist Pedagogy, Katrina Marie Overby, Gheni Platenburg

Feminist Pedagogy

No abstract provided.