AAS Podcast

Our podcast, formerly known as the AAS21 Podcast, acts as a conversation around the field of African American Studies and the Black experience in the 21st century. We focus on the political, economic, and cultural forces that shape our understanding of race within America. We invite you to listen as we explore outcomes, question and contextualize the dominant discourse, and consider evidence instead of myths.


 

Podcast Episodes

[AAS Podcast] Season 2, Episode 8: "A Black Gaze"
June 16, 2022

How do we look at, and respond to, work by Black contemporary artists? In this episode, we sat down with Tina Campt, Visiting Professor in Art & Archaeology and the Lewis Center for the Arts at Princeton.

[AAS Podcast] Season 2, Episode 7: "A Painter’s Eye"
April 8, 2022

In this episode, we sit down with the legendary historian and artist Nell Painter to discuss her career and its connections to Black Studies. From reckoning with historical figures as individuals to her life and work at Princeton, to her own works-in-progress, this podcast has something for everyone. Our hosts dive deep into Painter’s legacy and the lessons she has for our present moment.

[AAS Podcast] Season 2, Episode 6: "Science Fictions: Race, Biology, and Superhumanity"
March 4, 2022

On this podcast, we have addressed different dimensions of scientific racism from COVID-19 disparity data to the uses of human remains in anthropology.

[AAS Podcast] Season 2, Episode 5: "Reactivating Memory"
Nov. 15, 2021

Two events in 1921—more than a thousand miles apart—had a profound impact on African American history: the production of the all-Black musical Shuffle Along and the Tulsa race massacre. A century on, an online workshop held at Princeton, Reactivating Memory, sought to explore the relationship between these seemingly disparate events and consider their legacy in Black life today. Our host Mélena Laudig sat down with Michael J. Love, A.J. Muhammad, and Dr. Catherine M. Young, all contributors to the team that organized this fascinating workshop. Tune in to learn more about how they balance performance, scholarship, and activism, and to dig into the history of Shuffle Along and the legacy of Black theatrical practice.

[AAS Podcast] Season 2, Episode 4: "University Reckonings"
Sept. 13, 2021

Over the past decade, historians have probed the relationship between higher education and slavery through innovative public-facing projects that raise important questions. What role have academic institutions played in perpetuating racial inequality? How are scholars and students today working to hold universities accountable for past and present injustices? What role should public engagement play in shaping the future of scholarship and the mission of the university? As campuses buzz back to life, our hosts Ebun Ajayi and Mélena Laudig discuss the legacy of universities and slavery with up-and-coming scholars in Black Studies: R. Isabela Morales, Charlesa Redmond, and Ezelle Sanford, III.

[AAS Podcast] Season 2, Episode 3: "Juneteenth: Past, Present, and Future"
June 23, 2021

When we talk about Juneteenth, sometimes called America's second Independence Day, what exactly are we talking about? How has the end of slavery been celebrated across time in Black communities? What political obligations does its commemoration bring to the fore? Join our hosts, Ebun Ajayi and Mélena Laudig, as they talk with Professor Joshua B. Guild about the past, present, and future of Juneteenth.

[AAS Podcast] Season 2, Episode 2: "Black Foodways and Food Justice"
June 7, 2021

Our second episode looks at the culture and politics of Black foodways, from the ways in which Black women have used food to create traditions and claim power to the contemporary politics of nutrition, stereotypes, and food shaming. Beyond the platitude that food unites us all, Ebun Ajayi and Mélena Laudig explore the diversity of ways in which food is a site where identities are constructed and contested.

[AAS Podcast] Season 2, Episode 1: "COVID-19 in Black America"
Feb. 19, 2021

In our inaugural new episode, Ebun and Mae take a deep dive into questions about the impact of COVID-19 on communities of color. From cultural responses to lockdown and the need for a government response to creating a more just and inclusive public health system, our host break down multiple dimensions of the pandemic and point toward some resources to learn more.

Our Team

Anthony K Gibbons Jr.
Communications & Media Specialist
Co-producer, AAS Podcast
Elio Edward Lleo
Technical Support Specialist
Producer, AAS Podcast