From Spectacle to Politics...
The objective of my dissertation project is to examine three Black and female activist-artists whose transnational performances served as modes of political resistance across the twentieth century—Josephine Baker (1906–1975), Victoria Santa Cruz (1922–2014), and Miriam Makeba (1932–2008)— artists whose archives have often been overlooked, and for whom my project seeks to develop the critical language necessary to illuminate their embodied and ongoing practices of political protest.
1) JOSEPHINE BAKER (1906-1975)
Location: United States & France
- In chapter two, I will explore how Josephine Baker’s embodied practices allows an exploration of the development of African American culture before and after enslavement. Baker’s influence as an artist and activist act as an effective entrance into scholarly conversations revolving around performance, political theory, and Black feminist embodiment. As a dual French/American citizen since 1937, Baker (1906-1975) spoke at the March on Washington (1963) wearing her French military uniform.
2) VICTORIA SANTA CRUZ (1922-2014)
CHAPTER 3:
Location: Peru & Spain
- In chapter three, I will complete a close-analysis of Victoria Eugenia Santa Cruz’s (1922-2014) spoken-word poem produced in 1978: “They Yelled At Me: ‘Black’” (English title translation) and “Me Gritaron Negra” (original title). It will be presented as a short scholarly exploration that shows–– 1) a linguistic analysis of Santa Cruz’s poem and 2) a contextualization of Santa Cruz’s performance practices (coupled with research on postcolonial theory and visual methods used in the field of Black performance studies).
3)MIRIAM MAKEBA (1932-2008)
CHAPTER 4:
Location: South Africa & United States
- In chapter four, I will illustrate how Miriam Makeba’s linguistic performance challenges the epistemological erasure of the Black feminist presence in South Africa. As an affirmation of Blackness, the Black Consciousness Movement (BCM) began as an ideological symbol of beauty, creativity, competence and diversification. I will argue that one of Makeba’s most well-known musical performances released in the 50s and 60s created space for the Black feminist perspective prior to the public rise of the BCM in the 70s.