Critical Black Futures imagines worlds, afrofutures, cities, bodies, art and eras that are simultaneously distant, parallel, present, counter, and perpetually materializing. From an exploration of W.E.B. Du Bois' own afrofuturistic short stories, to trans* super fluid blackness,…
This project closely examines the relationship between transgenerational trauma, disability, and myth, particularly within Black speculative fiction, Afrofuturism, and Africanfuturism. Through the lenses of critical race theory, trauma theory, disability studies, and feminist th…
The current discourse surrounding interplanetary exploration is plagued by decidedly colonial visions for the humanization of the solar system. This ideology emerges from, and is reinforced by, the desire to expand capitalist markets, futurist imaginings of interplanetary utopia…
In Diversity in Families, sociologists Maxine Baca Zinn, D. Stanley Eitzen, and Barbara Wells assert, “At a very personal level, families are crucial shapers of who we are and what our opportunities have been and will be” (xvii). The novels in this dissertation—Octavia Butler’s …
Racial injustice in America throughout history has created culturally rich thriving neighborhoods like Chinatowns, where people can feel safe and protected during their transitional immigration process. Chinatown, Little Italy, and Little Poland, what do these culturally rich co…
During my time in Iowa, my research has been focused on the pineapple as a symbol which represents welcoming and hospitality. This investigation into the rituals and the action of being welcomed or hospitable to others is from my own experiences. I have encountered many struggle…
From Counter-Memory to Counter-Culture: Black Islam in the U.S. Through a Mundane Afrofuturist Lens is a multi-generational look at moments of Mundane Afrofuturism within the lives of Black Muslims in the U.S., emphasizing the concepts of counter-memory and counter-culture as ke…
Sun Ra said he came from Saturn. Known on earth for his inventive music and extravagant stage shows, he pioneered free-form improvisation in an ensemble setting with the devoted band he called the "Arkestra." Sun Ra took jazz from the inner city to outer space, infusing traditio…
Sun Ra said he came from Saturn. Known on earth for his inventive music and extravagant stage shows, he pioneered free-form improvisation in an ensemble setting with the devoted band he called the "Arkestra." Sun Ra took jazz from the inner city to outer space, infusing traditio…