"(Un)Common Ground: Space and Place in African American and Native American Convergences": A talk by LaRose Davis
This talk explores the ways that place can function as a facilitator of convergences between African American and Native American communities. While dominant discourses suggest that African Americans and Native Americans occupy fundamentally separate spheres politically, socially, and, importantly, geographically, humanist geographers notions of place charge us to rethink the times and spaces in which African American and Native American communities might intersect. Experimenting with the notion of (un)common ground, with all of the inherent tensions that the term suggests, Dr. Davis unravels the ways in which uncommon places become common places and commonplace, creating foundations for other types of alliances between African American and Native American peoples.
LaRose Davis currently holds an appointment in the Department of English at the University of Minnesota with affiliations in the Department of African American and African Studies and the Institute for Advanced Study. Her research interests are in the past and present convergences of African American and Native American communities. She is currently working on a book that considers the role of place in African American and Native American cultures and literatures. Her doctoral degree is in English from Emory University.
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