CRITICAL METHODOLOGIES SEMINAR SERIES SPRING 2015 Dr. Ed Brockenbrough University of Rochester “Queering Black Education: Theory, Practice, and Implications for Youth Work" Tuesday, February 24, 6-7pm UMass Amherst Lincoln Campus Center 165 Queering Black Education: Theory, Practice, and Implications for Youth Work The struggle to create and access educational opportunities for Blacks in the United States continues to be one of the most complex and important racial projects in contemporary American society. Mirroring Black civil rights struggles more broadly, the fight for educational justice has frequently relied on particular narratives of Black progress that belie contentious identity politics within Black communities and cultures. Amidst shifting racial loyalties and alignments in the post-civil rights era, how are Black educational agendas determined, and how can those agendas account for the diverse—and at times conflictual—concerns of multiple Black educational stakeholders? Using queer theory as an analytic lens, this lecture will draw upon findings from two separate studies—one on the experiences of Black male teachers, the other on experiences of Black and Latino queer youth—to offer examples of what it means to queer Black educational discourses and practices. By highlighting the anti-normative sensibilities of queer knowledge production, this lecture will contextualize the hegemonic dimensions of Black educational discourses, and it will consider how queer disruptions may lead to more transformative agendas for Black educational justice. FREE AND OPEN TO ALL
