KJ Rawson to Give Virtual Lecture on Race and Digital Transgender History

The Gender Studies Program at the U of A will host a virtual lecture by KJ Rawson, a renowned author and professor of transgender history at Northeastern University. Rawson's lecture, titled "Archival Reckonings: Asserting Queer and Trans Power in Information Environments," will occur at 6 p.m. CST on Tuesday, Sept. 28, via Zoom. 

Rawson's lecture will address racial disparities in existing trans-related historical collections, with a focus on how scholars are currently addressing the overrepresentation of white people and erasure of trans people of color in trans archives. 

Rawson is the founder and director of the Digital Transgender Archive, an award-winning online repository of trans-related historical materials. His scholarship lies at the intersections of digital humanities and rhetoric, LGBTQ+, and feminist studies. Focusing on archives as key sites of cultural power, he studies the rhetorical work of queer and transgender archival collections in both brick-and-mortar and digital spaces. 

"In my field, Dr. Rawson's name is synonymous with groundbreaking research in trans history, so I am thrilled he accepted the invitation to speak at the University of Arkansas," stated Joe E. Hatfield, an assistant professor in the Department of Communication and lead organizer of the event. "At a time when trans people's lives continue to be threatened in local, state and national legislatures, Rawson's willingness to publicly historicize struggles for trans visibility could not be more important."

Rawson's lecture will be streamed via Zoom at the following link: https://tinyurl.com/2944tfdw. The password for accessing the lecture is: UARK!kjr21

All are invited to attend and ask questions after the lecture concludes.  

The lecture is generously supported by the Gender Studies Program, the Department of Communication, the Center for Multicultural and Diversity Education, the U of A Libraries, the U of A Humanities Center and the Brown Chair in English Literacy. 

About the Gender Studies Program: The Gender Studies Program in Fulbright College was founded in 1993. In 2013, Lisa Corrigan was named the director of the gender studies program. Former directors include Anna Zajicek, professor of sociology, Lynda Coon, professor of history, Susan Marren, associate professor of English, and co-Directors Marren and Dave Fredrick, associate professor of world languages, literatures and cultures. The program was the product of the organization Fulbright Women, whose leaders included faculty members and administrators Diane Blair (political science), Margaret Bolsterli (English), Elizabeth Payne (history), Judith Ricker (world languages, literatures and cultures), Mary Jo Schneider (anthropology), and Barbara Taylor (human resources).