Undergraduate Seminar (390-0-5)

Topic

Black Feminist Ecocritical Art Histories

Instructors

Krista Angelique Thompson

Meeting Info

Kresge 4354 Art Hist. Sem. Rm.: Tues, Thurs 3:30PM - 4:50PM

Overview of class

The seminar explores the work of scholars and artists who engage and produce Black Feminist approaches to ecology, the relationship between the human world and nature. It examines Black Feminist perspectives on colonialism, indigeneity, and slavery and forms of knowledge related to the environment—from provision grounds and gardens to nature-centered cosmologies—created by Black women during enslavement. The class centers on the work of contemporary artists across the African diaspora who take up and reimagine these histories in their efforts to chart new and renewed approaches to environmental interrelation, sustainability, and justice. Readings include writings by Suzanne Césaire, Sylvia Wynter, and Alexis Pauline Gumbs and a consideration of art by Deborah Anzinger, Firelei Báez, Nadia Huggins, Deborah Jack, and Amanda Williams, among others. Students are responsible for weekly response papers, co-leading two presentations of readings, and creating and presenting on a final research project.

Class Materials (Required)

No textbook required.