Speaking of Shakespeare

SoS #27 | David Sterling Brown: Shakespeare, Race, and Social Justice

January 09, 2022 Thomas Dabbs Season 2 Episode 8
Speaking of Shakespeare
SoS #27 | David Sterling Brown: Shakespeare, Race, and Social Justice
Show Notes

Thomas Dabbs speaks with David Sterling Brown of Binghamton University. David is currently an ACLS/Mellon Scholars and Society Fellow in residence with The Racial Imaginary Institute, founded by Claudia Rankine, and in July 2022 he will join the faculty at Trinity College (USA), his undergraduate alma mater.

This conversation includes a look at recent initiatives that explore whiteness and modern racial conflict through the performance and study of Shakespeare. It also focuses on such recent initiatives as The Racial Imaginary Institute, spearheaded by Claudia Rankine, and also on the progress of 'Untitled Othello,' an ensemble led by Keith Hamilton Cobb. 

LINKS
David Sterling Brown Online (Other Presentations)
https://www.davidsterlingbrown.com/presentations

[SEGMENTS]
00:00:00 - Intro
00:02:00 - The Racial Imaginary Institute (TRII), Claudia Rankine
00:08:20 - American Moor, Untitled Othello, Keith Hamilton Cobb
00:28:50 - Cleopatra
00:33:10 - Whiteness and Color, the segregated South, Racialized Whiteness
00:39:40 - James Baldwin, African-American Lit and Shakespeare
00:44:50 - Challenging Shakespeare, ‘Titus Andronicus’
00:47:08 - Tragedy vs Comedy, racial perspectives, dark comedy
00:52:24 - bell hooks’ passing and her contributions, reflections
00:59:03 - Redemption, mediating change, confronting the now
01:13:38 - Guys, folks, drag, and drag queen
01:15:40 - David’s editorial positions with journals. 
01:16:26 - Social Justice in Contemporary Performance
01:19:28 - Shakespeare's Other Race Plays
01:21:00 - The Folger and Teaching Race Every Place, The First Folio
01:22:39 - Forthcoming books, Racialized Whiteness and Pedagogy/Scholarship
01:24:20 - The Sonic Color Line, Black Klansman, Sorry to Bother You
01:27:50 - Hood Feminism
01:30:55 - The Household and Mental Health
01:37:40 - Closing remarks