Lisa and Heinrich Arnhold Lecture 2023
In Cooperation with the American Academy in Berlin
Tiffany N. Florvil (Associate Professor, University of New Mexico): “Black Radical Histories”
Throughout modern history, Black thinkers in Central Europe — from the Trinidadian George Padmore to African Americans Shirley Graham Du Bois and Ollie Harrington to Black German May Ayim — have pursued radical projects pointing out the lack of basic human rights of marginalized communities. In this talk, Tiffany N. Florvil argues that these individuals and others have drawn upon their cross-cultural experiences to highlight how the intersecting oppressions of racism, classism, sexism, homophobia, and ableism have persisted throughout the twentieth century. Traversing geographical and aesthetic boundaries, these activists, cartoonists, and intellectuals advocated for civil, social, and political change in their respective countries and beyond, advancing a cosmopolitan ethos that allowed them to offer new forms of knowledge and instigate change. Florvil contends that these Black radical actors advanced politics on their own terms while at the same time showing that Germany was a key site for the transnational Black diaspora.
With Words of Welcome by Hilke Wagner (Director Albertinum, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden) and by Ana Ramic (Vice President of Programs, American Academy Berlin)
With an introduction by Doreen Mende (Head of Research Department, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden)
More information: Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden
