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Department of Critical Race, Gender & Culture Studies  (CRGC)

What is the CRGC?

The Department of Critical Race, Gender, and Culture Studies (CRGC) is a vibrant and inclusive community of faculty and students that explores diverse voices, histories, and experiences through socially engaged scholarship:

Announcements

News & Notes

Cheick Hamala Diabate
From Mali to Mississippi: The History of the Kora Playing in Africa and Beyond...

November 22, 2:30 p.m.–4 p.m. | Katzen 123
Cheick Hamala Diabate plays NPR Tiny Desk ConcertWashington may be chock-a-block with lobbyists and consultants, but rocks the n’goni. He’s hobnobbed with 鶹ý string and Blues legends—from Bela Fleck to Corey Harris—and along the way reunited his beloved instrument with its long-lost grandchild, America’s banjo. “The music we griots play is not just about making nice sounds for dancing, it’s about giving a lesson to people about their lives." crgc@american.edu

On November 7, CRGC professor Elizabeth Rule screened a rough cut of her forthcoming documentary, DC Is Indian Land, at Busboys & Poets in DC.

On October 30 the Arab World Studies Program presented “Jewish Arabness, Zionism, & the Politics of Elimination” with Massoud Hayoun, an award-winning author, journalist, and artist, in conversation with Arab World Studies Program Director, Irene Calis.

On October 8, CRGC hosted Prof. Jordache Ellapen (University of Rochester) in conversation with Prof. Suzanne C. Perard (鶹ý) about , queer and feminist visual practices in post-apartheid South Africa.

She Changed the Nation: Barbara Jordan's Life and Legacy in Black Politics, by M. Curtin.Mary Ellen Curtin’s book, , a biography of the first Black woman from the South to serve in Congress, was published by the University of Pennsylvania Press in September 2024.


Transpacific, Undisciplined.Lily Wong co-edited an anthology,  (University of Washington Press 2024), with Christopher B. Patterson and Chien-ting Lin. Lily was also awarded the Solidarity Award at AAPI Women Lead’s Building New Worlds conference.

Quynh Vo published a chapter, "Transpacific Rupture: Neoliberal Relationalities and Economic Violence in the COVID Era," in Transpacific, Undisciplined (University of Washington Press 2024).

Anita Mannur’s historicization of Trump’s racist false accusations against Haitian immigrants in Ohio was quoted by various news outlets, including the .

I Will Not Go, edited by Mohabir (book cover).Suzanne Persard’s series of poems are included in the groundbreaking anthology of Indo-Caribbean translations , (Kaya Press, 2024), edited by Rajiv Mohabir. Suzanne read selections from the book launch in New York City, which was part of the .

Bob Connelly served as the dramaturg and co-producer for the St. Mark’s Players' production of Rapture, Blister, Burn, which was co-directed by AU alumna Heather Danskin.

Elizabeth Rule received the Outstanding Book Award from the Association for Ethnic Studies for her book, Indigenous DC: Native People and the Nation's Capital.

Dr. Tanja Aho and Dr. Mary Ellen Curtin have won the 2022-2023 Ann Ferren Curriculum Design Award for their creation of the “Disability, Health, and Bodies” undergraduate certificate. This award recognizes the collaborative work of two or more faculty who creatively integrate the values of a liberal education in the design of courses or curricula for majors or academic programs.

Professor Christina Riley, a specialist in feminist digital media, was quoted in the article, "."

Read about Prof. Tanja Aho's work with the Disability+ Faculty and Staff Affinity Group in "".

Salvador Vidal-Ortiz, Laura Pulido, Perla Guerrero, Ricardo Ortiz, Kristie Dorr, Laura Pulido, and Ricardo Ortiz.Latinx Symposium featured Laura Pulido and a round-table discussion with Salvador Vidal-Ortiz, Perla Guerrero, Ricardo Ortiz, Kristie Dorr, Laura Pulido, and David Vazquez.

AU women soccer team huddled together, Brooke Steel in center, shouting.

Athletics ·

CAS Women Soccer Players Shine on Field and in Classroom

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1987 March on Washington

AU Celebrates New ENLACE Digital Archive

Nearly 500 historical documents document DC’s first Latino/a gay and lesbian organization

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Smithsonian National Native 鶹ý Museum, Courtesy Smithsonian Institution

Achievements ·

Elizabeth Rule’s “Indigenous DC” Wins AES Outstanding Book Award

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Statement in Solidarity with Anti-Racist Efforts from CRGC

The faculty of the Department of Critical Race, Gender, and Culture Studies join with protesters across the world to denounce police brutality and systemic anti-Black violence. 

Read the full statement