The Center for the Humanities Advisory Board has selected Makeba Lavan, assistant professor of English, as the 2022–23 Center for the Humanities faculty fellow.
As fellow, Lavan will be developing a book proposal for her second project, Miscegenation Nation. The book will set contemporary representations of interracial relationships in film and television within broader histories of official and unofficial efforts in the United States to police racial boundaries. Lavan will be working with a MAP student this summer to conduct research for conference proposals and an initial article on the topic.
Course Description
As the fellow, Lavan will also teach a two-credit short course in the spring of 2023, tentatively titled Miscegenation Nation: Eugenics, Racism, and Portrayals of Interracial Relationships.
The description:
Over the last thirty years, there has been an increase in interracial relationships in film and television, creating the appearance of a happily multicultural America. Together, we will explore and research how these contemporary media representations relate to histories of “anti-miscegenation” laws in the United States preventing “interbreeding among the races” as well as contemporary realities of racial terror, racialized cultural appropriation, and the drive for true representation in media.
Public Talk
Lavan will share her work with the Grinnell community during the Scholar’s Convocation on Thursday, April 6, 2023.