“Hieroglyphs of Blackness: Egypt, Fantasy, and the American Imaginary” examines representations of Egypt to reconceptualize the meanings and limits of transnational affinity relative to discourses about the black diaspora. Covering a long historical arc from the 18th century to the present, with particular attention to the aesthetic practices of iconography, this talk analyzes how cultural producers have imagined Egypt in various representations from classical civilization to anti-colonial polity to animate “blackness” both as a critique of the nation and the embodiment of a transnational political currency.
Wilson is associate professor of English and director of American Studies at Northwestern University. The talk will take place on March 29 at 4:30 in Tribble C216.