To move beyond the black/white paradigm in the study of race while still paying attention to this historically important divide.
To focus specifically on the social and identity cleavages within racialized communities, specifically the intersections of gender, class, sexuality, and region.
To investigate the linkages between race, gender and expressive culture and to understand the role of race, gender, and region in shaping cultural production.
To investigate identity and politics with social scientific, humanistic and legal tools in a way that brings together individuals in academic departments, professional schools, and activist communities.
To combine the pursuits of the academy and the community in a way that challenges the traditional barriers of the ivory tower.
To take advantage of technology and emerging media to promote the work of scholars and to connect students and community in meaningful ways.
To provide an environment where young scholars, established scholars, community activists, and students can work together with mutual respect.
Newcomb College Institute is proud to support the development of The Anna Julia Cooper Project on Gender, Race and Politics in the South, led by founding director and Professor of Political Science Melissa Harris-Perry. The project investigates how gender and race intersect to shape women’s politics in the South. Plans include the initiation of a visiting scholar program, a postdoctoral program, student media projects, an endowed lecture series, and the development of a journal.
Thursday, February 23rd at 7pm in the Kendall Cram Room of the LBC
Melissa V. Harris-Perry is professor of political science at Tulane University, where she is founding director of the Anna Julia Cooper Project on Gender, Race, and Politics in the South. She previously served on the faculties of the University of Chicago and Princeton University. Her academic research is inspired by a desire to investigate the challenges facing contemporary black Americans and to better understand the multiple, creative ways that African Americans respond to these challenges. She is also an award winning author and appears regularly on MSNBC and other media venues.
Sara Kugler is a senior Latin American studies major at Tulane University, where she studies race, gender and models of equity across the Americas. Her research has focused on the approach of the Cuban Revolution to eliminating racism and its implications for racial equity in the country. Originally from Silver Spring, Maryland, Sara is now a proud resident of New Orleans. In addition to working with the Anna Julia Cooper Project, she also is involved with the organization Voice of the Ex-Offender (VOTE).