African and African American Studies Resumes Brown Bag Lecture Series

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Sabrina Billings

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The African and African American studies program in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences will continue its Brown Bag lecture series in the spring semester by highlighting the scholarship of one jointly appointed and two affiliated faculty members. 

Sabrina Billings, assistant professor of Swahili, will present “Which is your favorite color?: Race, ethnicity, and linguistic expertise in Tanzanian beauty pageants” at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 5, in Old Main room 412. All members of the university community are welcome to attend.

“The Brown Bag Lecture Series brings together faculty and graduate students from a variety of disciplines including communications, English, history, political science, social work, sociology and world languages,” said series coordinator Benjamin Fagan, assistant professor of African and African American studies and English. “These events help foster the interdisciplinary community that makes our program so special.”

Two more Brown Bag lectures are scheduled for later in the semester. On Wednesday, March 5, Calvin White Jr., associate professor of history and director of the African and African American studies program, will present “Oscar DePriest, One Among Many: A Black Congressmen Amongst Segregationists.” On Wednesday, April 2, Fagan will present “The Black Newspaper and the Chosen Nation.” Both lectures will begin at 1 p.m. in Old Main room 412. 

Last semester’s series highlighted research by the program’s three new jointly appointed faculty members who arrived at the University of Arkansas in August 2013.  Brandon Jackson (sociology), Caree Banton (history) and Valandra (social work), gave talks that illustrated the program’s interdisciplinary nature. As part of their official appointments, these scholars teach courses, conduct research and provide service to the university in both an academic department and the African and African American studies program.

Billings is a member of the department of world languages, literatures and cultures and an affiliated faculty member in African and African American studies. She has been active in the program since her appointment to the university in 2007. She recently published a book, Language, Globalization, and the Making of a Tanzanian Beauty Queen (Multilingual Matters, 2013), and serves as an adjunct faculty member in the department of anthropology and a member of the gender studies steering committee.

The African and African American studies program at the University of Arkansas is an interdisciplinary program that expands on the core disciplines of a traditional liberal arts education.  Through interdisciplinary study, students explore the legacy of the African diaspora and African-descended people’s global experiences and the importance of race with a focus on Africa, the United States and the Caribbean.