Africa, African-American Culture, and the Classics

Overview

As K-12 teachers and students grapple with issues of race and justice in history and society, there is value in bringing in perspectives that arise from two areas of contemporary classical studies. On the one hand, there is the place of Africa in the Greco-Roman imaginary, and how regions like Egypt and Ethiopia are involved in ancient constructions of the Other. At the same time, much exciting work is being done on the varied reception of Greek and Roman literature in African American literature and art, ranging from colonial times to today. This workshop will explore these topics via test cases in artistic and historical reflections on Africa, African-American Culture, and the Classics.

The program will include four 30-minute talks, each followed by general discussion, with an opening gathering and breaks, and lunch together. Presenters will include UVA faculty members along with faculty from Howard University and the College of William and Mary.

There will be two funded opportunities for teachers to develop teaching resources to be shared with all participants as a follow-up to the workshop.

Agenda

9:00 – 9:45  
Coffee and Registration

9:45 – 10:45  
Inger Kuin, University of Virginia
‘What does a (Neo-)Classical Poet Look Like? Race and Recognition in the Life and Works of Phillis Wheatley’

10:45 – 11:00  
Break

11:00 – 12:00  
Najee Olya, College of William and Mary
‘Africa and the Ancient Mediterranean World: Re-examining the Scholarly Contributions of 20th Century Black Intellectuals’ 

12:00 – 1:00  
Lunch 

1:00 – 2:00  
John Miller, University of Virginia
‘Classical Myth in the Poetry of Rita Dove’

2:00 – 2:15  
Break

2:15 – 3:15  
Caroline Stark, Howard University
‘Refashioning the Classical Heroine in the Poetry of H. Cordelia Ray’

This event is sponsored by the Buckner W. Clay Endowment and

the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations