S1E1: Dr. Melina Abdullah discusses race scholarship and activism in higher ed.

Welcome to RAGE

Podcast of the University of Denver’s Interdisciplinary Research Institute for the Study of (In)Equality or IRISE for short. “I am the show’s host’s Tom Romero, and I’m a Professor of Law & History here at DU as well as IRISE’s Director.

RAGE explores the risks and rewards of being a critical race scholar in higher education. The past couple of years have sparked an unprecedented conversation about racial and connected forms of social inequality. In an era of Black Lives, Dreamers, the Flint Water Crisis, Standing Rock and vigorous backlash against these movements, everyone is talking about rage in brand new ways. Critical scholarship and public engagement by race scholars in op-eds, blogs, and essays have often been front and center in these formulations.

Yet, in higher education we have either taken for granted or ignored altogether the emotional, professional, and even physical risks to which race scholars are subjected. Though race scholars have long made enormous contributions to understanding systemic and institutionalized forms of inequality, their work has been marginalized, sometimes silenced, and often ignored. The consequence has been long-simmering collective disillusionment about the campuses and institutions of which we are a part, while the rage of others against race scholars is legitimized and made policy and practice.

For this episode, I’m here to talk about such issues with Dr. Melina Abdullah, Professor and Chair of Pan-African Studies at California State University, Los Angeles. Dr. Abdullah is a recognized expert on race, gender, class, and social movements and author of numerous articles and book chapters, with subjects ranging from political coalition building to womanist mothering.