We are witnessing history! Launching the FIRST research center for Black European studies. Founded and directed by the indomitable Dr. Mame-Fatou Niang @MameFatouNiang, a leading innovator in intellectual and cultural movements. Viva!👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 Bookmark this thread for updates.
Today’s program began with an intro of the speakers who present today, Thursday, and Friday. A gathering of luminaries in the arts, letters, social sciences, justice movements, and interdisciplinary studies. Remember if you’re in Pittsburgh, the conference is free and open!
Here is the full schedule of presentations for the conference launching the Center for Black European Studies and the Atlantic, taking place on the Carnegie Mellon University campus free and open to the public.
The keynote lecture by Noémie Ndiaye is riveting! So much fascinating information about Black Muslims in 16th and 17th century Europe.
The fascinating post-keynote discussion between Mame-Fatou Niang and Noémie Ndiaye included the contradiction of the ideology of “race neutrality” or “color blindness” in the deeply race-conscious and racist France.
Day 2 of the conference launching the CBESA and Cristina Roldão is giving us a riveting account of the history of Black people in Portugal. She showed us a Black newspaper from 1911(!!) called O Negro and discussed Black movements in 19th and early 20th century Portugal.
Our next Day 2 speaker Audrey Celestine gave a very powerful, intellectually rigorous, and captivating account of race and Blackness in France through her Martinique family history.
Our next CBESA launch conference presenters are sisters Aicetou Doucouré and Assadiallo Doucouré discussing life and voices of Black Muslim women in France. Especially working-class mothers.
Groundbreaking discussion between Michael MacEchrane and Felix Germaine on the topic of instituting a global Black studies infrastructure that defies national, linguistic, disciplinary, and epistemic boundaries.
Last discussion of Day 2 was a conversation I moderated on queering global Black archives between two legendary figures: French choreographer and performing artist Bintou Dembele and Dutch anthropologist Gloria Wekker.