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Critical RGC Studies
4400 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20016-8144
United States
What is the CRGC?
The Department of Critical Race, Gender, and Culture Studies (CRGC) is a vibrant and inclusive community of faculty and students that explores diverse voices, histories, and experiences through socially engaged scholarship:
Announcements
Jewish Arabness, Zionism, & the Politics of Elimination
October 30, 2:30 鈥 4:00 p.m. | MGC 128
Join the Arab World Studies Program for an event titled, 鈥淛ewish Arabness, Zionism, & the Politics of Elimination鈥 with Massoud Hayoun, an award-winning author, journalist, and artist, in conversation with Arab World Studies Program Director, Irene Calis. Our Arab World Studies fall event is co-sponsored with the Antiracist Research & Policy Center, the Ethnographies of Empire Research Cluster, and the Department of Anthropology.
HumanitiesDC's Culture Series: DC is Indian Land
November 7, 7:00鈥8:30 p.m. | Busboys and Poets, 450 K Street NW
Scholar, artist, and policymaker Dr. Elizabeth Rule (enrolled citizen, Chickasaw Nation) will screen a rough cut of her forthcoming documentary, DC is Indian Land.
News & Notes
On October 8, CRGC hosted Prof. Jordache Ellapen (University of Rochester) in conversation with Prof. Suzanne C. Perard (麻豆原创) about听, queer and feminist visual practices in post-apartheid South Africa.
Mary Ellen Curtin鈥檚 book,听, a biography of the first Black woman from the South to serve in Congress, was published by the University of Pennsylvania Press in September 2024.
Bob Connelly served as the dramaturg and co-producer for the St. Mark鈥檚 Players' production of Rapture, Blister, Burn, which was co-directed by 麻豆原创 alumna Heather Danskin.
Elizabeth Rule received the Outstanding Book Award from the Association for Ethnic Studies for her book,听Indigenous DC: Native People and the Nation's Capital.
Dr. Tanja Aho and Dr. Mary Ellen Curtin have won the 2022-2023 Ann Ferren Curriculum Design Award for their creation of the 鈥淒isability, Health, and Bodies鈥 undergraduate certificate. This award recognizes the collaborative work of two or more faculty who creatively integrate the values of a liberal education in the design of courses or curricula for majors or academic programs.
Professor Christina Riley, a specialist in feminist digital media, was quoted in the article, "."
Read about Prof. Tanja Aho's work with the听Disability+ Faculty and Staff Affinity Group听in "".
Latinx Symposium听featured Laura Pulido and a round-table discussion with Salvador Vidal-Ortiz, Perla Guerrero, Ricardo Ortiz, Kristie Dorr, Laura Pulido, and David Vazquez.
- Professor Irene Calis, with Prof Rochelle Davis at Georgetown University, launch 2022-23 virtual Speaker Series "Palestine: Land, Life Dignity."
- Tanja Aho听won the university鈥檚 Faculty-Staff Collaboration Award for their work founding and growing the Disability + Faculty/Staff Affinity Group.
- Sybil Roberts-Williams听was the inaugural recipient of the Antiracist Research & Policy Center鈥檚 Career Advancement Fellowship to support her creation of a docu-drama film on women in Rastafarianism entitled听She Talks to Empress Menen.
- Elizabeth Rule听was selected as a Humanities Truck Fellow for AY 2022-23. She will be using this fellowship to conduct oral histories on sites of Indigenous importance in Washington, DC as explored in her Guide to Indigenous DC mapping project and mobile application.
- Onaje Woodbine鈥檚 article听"White Hauntings, Black Hoops: The Ghosts of Kyrie Irving" has been published in the anthology听Religion and Sport in North America: Critical Essays for the Twenty-First Century听eds. Jeffrey Scholes and Randall Balmer (Routledge, 2022).
- Christina Juh谩sz-Wood听听presented her paper听鈥淎rthur Sze鈥檚 鈥淧oetics of听翱耻迟别谤听Space鈥 on the panel听(Re)mediating Frontier Mythologies of the American West听which she organized for the 2022 Association of Asian American Studies conference
- Professor Tanja Aho听discusses "."
- Professor Anna Kaplan鈥檚 "Women鈥檚 Voices through Time" classes made websites for their final projects showcasing women鈥檚 history and voices. Click on the websites to explore their projects:听
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. - Professor Tanja Aho discussed the new certificate听Disability, Health, and听Bodies in "."
- Professor Sybil Roberts听Williams听is the playwright for 鈥淭he Black Flute,鈥 a work produced by the IN-Series opera company and made into a film which was screened on the National Mall October 8. 鈥淏lack Flute鈥 reimagines Mozart鈥檚 classic work 鈥淢agic Flute鈥 in DC鈥檚 historically Black neighborhoods and explores what it means to be young, black, and gifted in today鈥檚 world.
- Prof. Abdallah Hendawy, has just published a new book, Bleeding Hearts: From Passionate Activism to Violent Insurgency in Egypt, which is currently the number three best-seller on Amazon鈥檚 Middle Eastern Studies list. Bleeding Hearts examines the wave of violence that broke out in Egypt in the aftermath of the 2013 military takeover against the country鈥檚 first democratically elected president. Abdallah Hendawy sheds light on the stories of several political activists who abandoned their commitment to nonviolence and took up arms against the state. Through multiple interviews, ethnographic observations, fieldwork, and qualitative data analysis, Hendawy challenges the dominant theoretical paradigms on radicalization that often attribute this complex phenomenon to ideological or religious beliefs. Instead, Hendawy shows that rigid state authoritarianism, especially sustained repression targeting peaceful activists, turned them toward armed resistance.
- Prof. Irene Calis has won the College Dean鈥檚 Award for Outstanding Contributions to an Inclusive Community for her 鈥淭hinking Freedom from the Global South鈥 Speaker and Intellectual Workshop series during spring 2021. The series brought grass-roots organizer-intellectuals from around the world to dialogue with students and the public about transformative organizing for radical social change.
- Prof. Morad Elsana's听book was published by Routledge in November 2020. He also recently wrote an op-ed published at the Middle East Institute .听听
- Prof. Katharina Vester has won a Humboldt Research Fellowship for Experienced Researchers from the German government to support the writing of her next book,听Bodies to Die for:听Self-Help Ideology, Biopolitics, and Popular Culture.听
- Prof. K. Tyler Christensen published , a collection of poems.
More Announcements
- Professor听Elizabeth Rule has received听The Library Company of Philadelphia鈥檚 2021 Innovation Award for听, a digital map, mobile application, and monograph of sites of Indigenous importance in the nation鈥檚 capital. This biennial award goes to a project that critically and creatively expands the possibilities of humanistic scholarship.
- Prof. Donald Earl Collins wrote about the joy of being Black in America in ; argued that America is a failed state in ; described the upon BIPOC; and discussed,听in the wake of the death of George Floyd,听ongoing protests and whether America might be permanently broken on .
- Prof. Tanja Aho won the Dean鈥檚 Award for Outstanding Contributions to an Inclusive Community for their impassioned commitment to fostering campus-wide discussions about how better to serve our disabled students and faculty.
- Maria Gramajo, double major in American Studies and Women鈥檚 Gender, & Sexuality Studies presented her research at three national conferences. In March 2020 at the Humanities and Education Research Association Conference in Chicago, she presented a paper entitled "This Is Our School Too: Queer and Trans Students of Color鈥檚 Narratives at 麻豆原创.鈥澨齀n January 2020, at the LGBTQ Task Force Creating Change Conference in Dallas TX, she ran a workshop 鈥Love in Color: QTPOC Storytelling.鈥 In November 2019 at the National Women鈥檚 Studies Association (NWSA) Conference in San Francisco, she presented her paper 鈥Trans History(ies) and Future(s).鈥
- WGSS Student Corinne Ahrens' article听was published by听Ms. Magazine on 13 April 2020.听听Read her piece听. On 28 April 2020 they published her piece听.
- Prof. Sybil Roberts听Williams, Director of African American & African Diaspora Studies, has won a Mellon Faculty grant for her proposal with Prof. Nancy Jo Snider of the Performing Arts Department: 鈥淎rt, Politics and Identity: Community Transformations through Creation.鈥澨
- Prof. Alison Thomas鈥 American Studies course, Political Humor in Modern America: What's so Funny?(AMST-296-001) was .
- Prof. Sybil Roberts听Williams听Director of African American & African Diaspora Studies,听took a group of students to Cape Town, South Africa over winter break to research the history of artists鈥 role in the struggle against apartheid.
- Prof. Bob Connelly听was on the Emmy-Award winning team behind the Nat Geo show听听Bob serves as their head of research.听
- Prof. Irene Calis听was听invited by the Afro-Middle East Centre in Pretoria, South Africa, to speak at their听October colloquium听听鈥淎 Playground for foreign powers: The MENA region as a target for foreign intervention.鈥澨
- Prof. Martyn Oliver, Director of Arab World Studies,听wrote and recorded a 12-part lecture series 鈥溾 for the Great Courses series.
麻豆原创 Celebrates New ENLACE Digital Archive
Nearly 500 historical documents document DC鈥檚 first Latino/a gay and lesbian organization
Past Events
2021-2022
Indigenous Health: A Roundtable Discussion
Virtual | November 17
Join 麻豆原创's American Studies Department听for a conversation about Indigenous health with Josie Raphaelito (Din茅/Navajo Nation), Mariah Gladstone (Blackfeet, Cherokee), Candi Brings Plenty (Oglala Sioux), and Elizabeth Rule (Chicasaw Nation), moderated by Tanja Aho. Our panelists will discuss听their work on Indigenous cancer research, Two Spirit and Native LGBTQIA+ advocacy and community work, resistance to colonial theft, exploitation, and gender violence, and reteaching Indigenous foodways.
Participants:
Josie Raphaelito听(Din茅, Navajo) is a passionate advocate for tribal public health. Josie serves as the Research Project Coordinator for the new Center for Indigenous Cancer Research at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. She also is co-author of the Indigenizing Love Toolkit.
Dr. Elizabeth Rule听(Chickasaw Nation) is Assistant Professor of Critical Race, Gender, and Culture Studies at 麻豆原创. Rule鈥檚 research on Indigenous issues has been featured in the Washington Post, The Atlantic, and NPR.
Mariah Gladstone听(Blackfeet, Cherokee) graduated from Columbia University with a degree in Environmental Engineering and returned home where she developed Indigikitchen, an online tool for reteaching information about Indigenous foods.
Candi Brings Plenty听(Oglala Sioux) is a queer, indigenous, Two Spirit, cis, Oglala Lakota Sioux Activist and Spiritual Practitioner. She works as an indigenous justice organizer with the South Dakota ACLU and specializes in advocating for Two Spirit warriors, community health, and protesters at the Keystone XL pipeline.
Dr. Tanja Aho听is a Professional Lecturer of American Studies at 麻豆原创 , where they teach two core courses of the new Disability, Health, and Bodies certificate. They serve on the board of the Rainbow History Project and were a copy editor of the Indigenizing Love Toolkit.
2020-2021
Indigenous Health: A Roundtable Discussion
Nov 17 4p.m. ET
Sacred Tools of Resistance: Immune System Qigong Workshop
Oct 14
Muhammad: Prophet of Peace: A conversation with Prof. Juan Cole
Oct 20 1:00 pm EST
The Palestinian Exception to Calls for Social Justice
Oct 29 7:00 pm EST
Applying to Grad School 101
Dec 2, 8:30 - 10 pm EST, via zoom
Scholarship, Community, & Resistance
Feb 26, 7:30 - 8:30 pm EST, via zoom
Thinking Freedom from the Global South
Curatorial Evolutions: Insights from Two Exhibitions at the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art
Mar 19, 2:30 - 3:45 pm ET, via zoom
Applying to Grad School 101
Apr 26, 8 - 9:30 pm EST, via zoom
2019-2020
ASIA- 18 Sept Wednesday McDowell Formal 2:30 pm A Casual Conversation with a Zen Master听
AWST- 23 September Monday 1 pm - 6 pm in SIS Founders Room Symposium
CRGC-25 September The Bridge 7:30 pm The Welcoming Stage
ASIA 3-October Thursday听Letts Formal 1 pm - 2:30 pm Mind-Only Buddhism and the Ethics of Universal Liberation
AWST-21 October Monday Mona Makram-Ebeid 3 pm - 4:30 pm听
AMST 22 October Tuesday 6 pm - 8 pm Voices of Youth < Letts Formal Lounge听
AWST-23 October
AFAM-30 October coronation celebration
AMST-31 Oct planning meeting听
AMST- 5 Nov 2- 4 pm lunch and learn
CRGC-听
- January 22
- CRGC Presents the Welcoming Stage Open Mic Night
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Join CRGC for a night of community, performance, pizza, and cafe drinks. Meet with faculty, reunite after winter break.
Location: The Bridge Cafe
Time: 7:30 - 9 pm听
听
- January 29
- CRGC Presents Asian Studies Night
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Come learn about the Asian Studies program, meet Asian Studies faculty members & hear how to combine Asian Studies with other majors. Enjoy Chinese catered dinner by Meiwah.听
Location:听McDowell Formal Lounge
Time:听6 - 8 pm听
- February 5
- Arab World Studies presents Dr. Sahar听Khamis,听Arab Women's Activism(s) and Resistance(s):听Unfinished Gendered Revolutions
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Join Arab World Studies and CRGC for this lecture followed by Q & A. Light refreshments will be served.听
Dr. Sahar Khamis is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Maryland, College Park. She is an expert on Arab and Muslim media, and the former Head of the Mass Communication Department in Qatar University. She is the co-author of the books:听Islam Dot Com: Contemporary Islamic Discourses in Cyberspace听(Palgrave Macmillan, 2009) and听Egyptian Revolution 2.0: Political Blogging, Civic Engagement and Citizen Journalism听(Palgrave Macmillan, 2013). She is the co-editor of the book:听Arab Women鈥檚 Activism and Socio-Political Transformation: Unfinished Gendered Revolutions听(Palgrave Macmillan, 2018).
Location:听Hughes Formal Lounge
Time:听3听- 4:30 pm听听
- February 25
- CAS Exploration Week; Step outside the box, explore CRGC & Sneak peek for Fall 2020
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Come learn about majors, minors, electives, and 麻豆原创 Core classes with The Critical Race, Gender, and Culture Studies Collaborative. Meet informally with professors and grab lunch too.
Location:听Battelle Atrium
Time: 12 - 1:30 pm听听
- ongoing - February 29 *** New Extended Deadline!听
- Asian Studies invites you to enter the 6th annual essay contest
-
Download your听entry form. E-mail entry form and essay in a single pdf document to crgc@american.edu. For your e-mail subject please use "Asian Studies Essay Contest Entry." Must be a current 麻豆原创 Student in February 2020听to enter.听
Location:听crgc@american.edu
Time: 11:59 pm on February 29 *New Extended Deadline!听
2018-2019
26 September Wednesday 3:30 pm - 5 pm McDowell Formal Lounge听Is Justice Possible?: Arab and Muslim Americans in the Age of Trump
23 October Tuesday 6 pm - 8 pm McDowell Formal Lounge Voices of Youth听听听
25 October Thursday 6 pm - 9 pm Kerwin 2 Asian Film Nights Series 1听
1 November Thursday 6:45 pm - 8 pm MGC 315 Black LGBTQ Life in DC
13 November Tuesday 4 pm - 5:30 pm MGC 200 Muslim Women and White Femininity: Reenactment and Resistance Haneen al-Ghabra听
28 November Wednesday 12:30 pm - 2 pm Battelle Atrium Activism & The AIDS Crisis: Remembering the Significance of OUT!听
23 January The Bridge 麻豆原创 CRGC The Welcoming Stage
27 February Wednesday 7:30 pm - 9 pm Katzen Welcome Center Auditorium (2nd floor) BOOMscat听
6 March Wednesday 6pm MGC 3-5 What鈥檚 the feminist frequency? with Anita Sarkeesian
26 March Tuesday 7:30 - 8:30 pm MGC 200 The Truth about Awiti with CP Patrick
28 March Thursday 2:30 - 4:30 pm Kay Lounge Unacknowledged Echoes of Black Women: Disrupting Sexual Violence
3 April 11 SOC co sponsored event Stonewall 50
9 April Tuesday 2:30 - 4pm Palestinian Short Film with filmmaker - Kerwin 2 -听
10 April Wednesday 7:30 am - 6 pm Disability, Access, & Teaching: A One-Day Symposium听
11 April Thursday 7 - 8:30 pm MGC 2 North Korean Refugees: Escape, Adjustments, and the Role of English
16 April Tuesday 5:30 - 7 pm McDowell Formal Sexual Science & Transgender China
2017-2018
Data is forthcoming
Statement in Solidarity with Anti-Racist Efforts from CRGC
The faculty of the Department of Critical Race, Gender, and Culture Studies join with protesters across the world to denounce police brutality and systemic anti-Black violence.听