QGAPS: LGBTQ+ African American Characters Queering Space in Film

Drawing from the theories of Katherine McKittrick, Christina Sharpe, Fred Moten, and Jeffrey McCune, this talk will explore the ways in which LGBTQ African American characters in 20th and 21st century films create space apart from, underneath, around, and above the space of the United States—a nation whose foundations and very space have been historically produced to alienate and to destroy African American people. A main focus in this discussion of the creation of space will be on the ways in which African American characters queer space and thus queer the expectations and definitive meanings of what certain spaces are “supposed” to do and who they are “made” for.

PhD candidate Hannah Skjellum will discuss films like The Color Purple, Daughters of the Dust, The Watermelon Woman, Brother to Brother, Naz & Malik, and Moonlight to analyze processes of creating and queering space, as well as the consequences these characters experience in their attempts to find relief and safety from the spaces of the United States.

Lunch will be provided! Please register to ensure we have enough food for everyone.
If you have any questions or accessibility needs, please contact Erin Case, Graduate and Professional Student Program Coordinator, at erincase@live.unc.edu.

REGISTER HERE