Ithaca College

All are welcome to attend Professor Adams's talk, "All the Things We Could Be By Now if Race Really Didn't Matter" on Thursday, April 25, 5:30-6:30 in Business 103.  This event is proudly sponsored by Sigma Tau Delta, the English Honor Society.

The recent explosion of postracial rhetoric across academic, political, and social spheres of American life has created two troubling conclusions about race: first, that racism has officially met its end; second, that race no longer matters. These arguments resonate deeply in the field of African American literature with its deep investment in depicting the significance of race to those who are marginalized as a result of racial practices. So how does a literary genre with an inherent focus on racial identification respond to this wave of postracial sentiment? What becomes of African American literature in an era when race supposedly no longer matters? In answering these questions, this presentation will explore the genre’s attempts to reconcile an imagined postracial world with the reality of pervasive racial antagonism.

Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations should contact Christopher Matusiak at cmatusiak@ithaca.edu or (607) 274-7371. We ask that requests for accommodations be made as soon as possible.