Join African and African American Studies For Second Lecture in 2013-14 Brown Bag Series

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Caree Banton, Benjamin Fagan (top); Brandon Jackson, Valandra (bottom)

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The African and African American studies program in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences will continue its Brown Bag Lecture Series at noon Wednesday, Nov. 6, in Old Main, room 412. Caree Banton, assistant professor of African and African American studies and history, will present "Shifting Frontiers of Freedom, Citizenship and Nationhood in Caribbean Post-Emancipation and the African Diaspora." Banton is a historian of race, slavery and abolition in the Caribbean.

"The Brown Bag Lecture Series brings together faculty and graduate students from a variety of disciplines including communications, English, history, political science, social work, sociology, and world languages," said Benjamin Fagan, assistant professor of African and African American studies and English, and coordinator of the series. "These events help foster the interdisciplinary community that makes our program so special."

This year's series highlights the research of the program's four jointly appointed faculty members. All members of the university community are welcome to attend the lectures.

"The Brown Bag Series enables faculty to gain important feedback on their in-progress research to help them do what they do best: engage in top-quality interdisciplinary research and teaching," said Calvin White, Jr., director of the program and associate professor of history.

The African and African American studies program is an interdisciplinary program that expands on the core disciplines of a traditional liberal arts education. Through multiple fields of study, students explore the legacy of the African diaspora and African-descended people's global experiences and the importance of race with a focus on Africa, the United States and the Caribbean.

The first lecture in the 2013-14 Brown Bag Series took place Oct. 2. Brandon Jackson, assistant professor of African and African American studies and sociology and criminal justice, presented "Constructing Brotherhood: Racial and Gendered Emotion Culture as a Strategy to Navigate Predominantly White Settings." Jackson's research explores the processes associated with social mobility among young black adults and how these processes are shaped by gender, race, and class.

The final Brown Bag Lecture for the fall semester will be held at noon Wednesday, Dec. 4, in Old Main, room 412. Valandra, assistant professor of African and African American studies and social work, will present "The Experiences of African American Women Survivors of Sexual Violence with the Men in Their Lives." Her scholarship examines how traumatic experiences related to gender-based violence intersect with systems of privilege, oppression and poverty.

Banton, Jackson and Valandra arrived at the University of Arkansas in August 2013. They joined Fagan, who joined the faculty in August 2012. As part of their official appointments, these scholars teach courses, conduct research and provide service to the university in the African and African American studies program as well as their academic department.