The industrial complex is an industrial complex! Today we’ll be talking about the spread of industrial complexes, non-profits, so-called activist influencers, the controversy around BLM Global Network spending, and the whispers around Nikole Hannah-Jones and Kimberlé Crenshaw being problématique. What’s the Word? Industrial Complex. Popularized by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, the industrial complex refers to…
Sometimes it’s love and light, sometimes it’s love and light that ass up! In this episode, we’re joined by founder, inventor, and curator Adero Knott to discuss accessibility, disability, technology, and the ableist joke Chris Rock made that got him slapped at the Oscars. What’s the Word? Accessibility. We define the term, explain how we…
Is rejection and trauma the Black Manosphere and Toxic Femininity villain origin story?! In today’s episode we’re joined by soon-to-be PhD Candidate Anuli Akanegbu to discuss patriarchy, the know-your-place aggression towards Black women online, and what draws people to these spaces on the internet. What’s The Word? Patriarchy. This term is used to describe a society that…
Today we’re talking about the quintessential anthropological experience: fieldwork! We heeded your requests to do more casual episodes, so we’re answering questions about what the field is, what it’s like to go to the field, and other tips we have. We start out with Zora Neale Hurston’s imagery of culture as a tight chemise and…
Happy Birthday to our wonderful co-host Alyssa! We’re back for our second episode of the semester to talk about hegemony, institutional power, and the academic hierarchies that fail to protect Black queer and trans women. What’s the Word? Hegemony. We give a brief explanation of hegemony and how it comes into being. What We’re Reading…
There wouldn’t be a fabric of the nation if Black Americans hadn’t picked the cotton for it! Brendane and Alyssa are back for Semester 2 with announcement of all the big things we’ve been talking about and getting into decolonization, history and national myths with The 1619 Project, banning books, racial constructs, and whether we…
We’re giving you notes from the shoal! In our last episode of the semester, Alyssa and Brendane are joined by the brilliant Amber Starks AKA Melanin Mvskoke to talk about blackness, indigeneity, the im/possibility of solidarity, and so much more! What’s the Word? Praxis. A commonly used (and perhaps abused!) term in conversations around activism and solidarity…
Who are these new folx on the block?! In this episode, Brendane and Alyssa are talking about gentrification, blackness, mambo sauce, and the new show Harlem (2021) on Amazon Prime that has Blackademic Twitter abuzz. There are definitely spoilers in this episode! What’s the Word? Gentrification. We explain the term, its origins, and the causes…
We’re back y’all! Thank you for accommodating our much needed break. In return, we’re giving you one: no readings! In this episode, Brendane and Alyssa debrief on the Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association that was held in Baltimore from November 17-21, 2021. We kiki and spill tea on what we expected from the…
Call my girls and put ’em all on a spaceship! In this episode, Alyssa and Brendane are joined by the co-hosts of the amazing Lose Your Sister podcast, Jordan and Liberty. Together, we unpack Black feminist futurity and temporality, the end of the/this world, community, and Squid Game (no spoilers, promise!). What’s the Word? Futurity. We…
