In this seminar, we will look closely at 20th-century Black intellectuals and artists who offer cultural and theoretical frameworks to challenge our ideas of what Black manhood is and could be.
Session II: June 12 to July 14 (Cross-listed with AFAS and WGSS)
Working from the foundational claim that masculinity is never an established fact, we will critically (re)define the keywords “Blackness,” and “masculinity,” and consider the terms and implications of their interrelatedness. Emphasizing close reading of literature, music, film and visual art, this course will introduce the interdisciplinary nature of Black Masculinity Studies. To his end, course martials, including the writing of James Baldwin, the music of Kendrick Lamar, and films like Moonlight, will serve as critical sites to pursue the following inquires: How does race impact broader meanings of masculinity? Further, how does Blackness both threaten and fortify hegemomic conceptions of masculinity? Finally, how does centering the relationship between Blackness and masculinity assist in thinking through themes of gender, race, and sexuality, more broadly?
Zachary Manditch-Prottas is a lecturer in American Culture Studies and African and African-American Studies. He earned his doctorate in African American Studies from the University of California, Berkeley. His research and teaching work at the nexus of African American literature, Black cultural studies, and theories of gender and sexuality.
