New 'Short Talks' Features Director of U of A's African and African American Studies Program

Chieko Hara, University Relations

Caree Banton

For the January episode of Short Talks from the Hill, Caree Banton discusses her recent appointment as director of the U of A's African and African American Studies Program and her latest book More Auspicious Shores: Barbadian Migration to Liberia, Blackness, and the Making of the African Republic, 1865 - 1912.

Banton also makes the case for students choosing a major or minor in the African and African American Studies Program.

"The advantages of being an African and African American studies major or minor is that, firstly, it gives you this very critical interdisciplinary perspective, right? So it's not bound by the discipline," Banton says in the podcast. "If you're able to show that you can gather sources and ideas from a literary perspective, a historical perspective, a sociological perspective, an economical perspective, a legal perspective - that's what we do here in African and African American studies."

Banton is an associate professor of history in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. Her research focuses on movements around "abolition, emancipation and colonization, as well as ideas of citizenship, blackness and nationhood in the 19th century."

To listen to Banton discuss her work and her scholarly interests, go to ResearchFrontiers.uark.edu, the home of research news at the University of Arkansas, or visit the "On Air" and "Programs" link at KUAF.com.

Short Talks From the Hill highlights research, scholarly work, and creative activity at the University of Arkansas. Each segment features a university a faculty member discussing his or her work. Previous podcasts can be found under the 'Short Talks From the Hill' link at ResearchFrontiers.uark.edu.

Thank you for listening!

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