Seyi Olojo, University of California, Berkeley; Dr. Roderic Crooks, University of California, Irvine; Kinjal Dave, University of Pennsylvania; Lauren Chambers, University of California, Berkeley;
Black Studies is a multidisciplinary academic discipline based on sociological, historical, critical, and literary exploration of the lived experiences of the African diaspora. Black Studies arose as the culmination of activist projects that threatened the university's privileged economic and cultural status by insisting that the material differences of race and class are foundational to knowledge production. Building on existing engagements between Black Studies and STS - Benjamin's formulation of carceral technoscience, for example-this call for submissions aims to continue the conversation between Black studies and STS. Rather than exploring what terms and concepts Black studies might contribute to STS, however, we aim to identify various points of theoretical departure and arrival that occur between these two disciplines. We invite scholars to consider questions such as these: What are the current political ambitions and commitments of STS? What are the political ambitions of Black Studies? Do they intersect? If so, how? Which STS methodologies might be employed to realize Black epistemologies? Additionally, how might STS practice its methods in such a manner as to pursue Black liberation?
