African and African American Studies: Introduction to Wakanda
June 19, 2016 11:15 AM Subscribe
"T’Challa emerged as the fictional representation of those countless dreams denied; the unbroken manhood that Ossie Davis famously invoked after the assassination of Malcolm X. Wakanda symbolized the dreams of black utopias like Ethiopia and South Africa that had grown as the Black Freedom Struggle grew over the twentieth century. In this moment when superheroes become a way to explore contemporary anxieties about activism and authority, the Black Panther provides an opportunity for global audiences to study the traditions of black nationalism, Pan-Africanism, and the variety of African indigenous cultures. Dr. Walter Greason (Monmouth University) took a few minutes to suggest a collaborative exploration of these influences" in the Wakanda Syllabus.
Needs to include Pauline Hopkins' amazeballs Of One Blood.
posted by TwoStride at 11:48 AM on June 19, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by TwoStride at 11:48 AM on June 19, 2016 [2 favorites]
Appreciate the MF DOOM nod; I think his side project as King Geedorah, Take Me To Your Leader is applicable as well.
Del tha Funkee Homosapien and Janelle Monae probably deserve a nod for musical contributions to the Afrofuturism canon too, but this is an admirable list indeed.
posted by Strange Interlude at 11:48 AM on June 19, 2016 [3 favorites]
Del tha Funkee Homosapien and Janelle Monae probably deserve a nod for musical contributions to the Afrofuturism canon too, but this is an admirable list indeed.
posted by Strange Interlude at 11:48 AM on June 19, 2016 [3 favorites]
Seems worth mentioning (and kind of a striking omission from the linked piece) that the current run of Black Panther is written by Ta-Nehisi Coates.
posted by dersins at 1:09 PM on June 19, 2016 [10 favorites]
posted by dersins at 1:09 PM on June 19, 2016 [10 favorites]
Evelyn from the Internets: So NOW it's cool to be from Wakanda!?!
posted by Pirate-Bartender-Zombie-Monkey at 9:17 AM on June 20, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by Pirate-Bartender-Zombie-Monkey at 9:17 AM on June 20, 2016 [2 favorites]
I was pleasantly surprised by Black Panther in Civil War. Just because I didn't cringe. Which, I guess, show's how low my expectations were.
posted by lumpenprole at 11:17 AM on June 20, 2016
posted by lumpenprole at 11:17 AM on June 20, 2016
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posted by Etrigan at 11:42 AM on June 19, 2016 [11 favorites]