Afrofuturism 2.0: The Rise of Astro-Blackness

by Reynaldo Anderson Harris-Stowe State Univer (Editor), Charles E. Jones University of Cincinnati (Editor), Tiffany E. Barber (Contribution by), Nettrice Gaskins (Contribution by), Ricardo Guthrie (Contribution by)

Overview

The ideas and practices related to afrofuturism have existed for most of the 20th century, especially in the north American African diaspora community. After Mark Dery coined the word "afrofuturism" in 1993, Alondra Nelson as a member of an online forum, along with other participants, began to explore the initial terrain and intellectual underpinnings of the concept noting that “AfroFuturism has emerged as a term of convenience to describe analysis, criticism and cultural production that addresses the intersections between race and technology.” Afrofuturism 2.0: The Rise of Astroblackness represents a transition from previous ideas related to afrofuturism that were formed in the late 20th century around issues of the digital divide, music and literature. Afrofuturism 2.0 expands and broadens the discussion around the concept to include religion, architecture, communications, visual art, philosophy and reflects its current growth as an emerging global Pan African creative phenomenon.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781498510516
Publisher:	Lexington Books
Publication date:	12/16/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	240
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Reynaldo Anderson is associate professor of communications at Harris-Stowe State University.

Charles E. Jones is professor and head of the Department of Africana Studies at University of Cincinnati.

Table of Contents

Introduction to Afrofuturism 2.0
Reynaldo Anderson and Charles E. Jones
Part I: Quantum Visions of Futuristic Blackness
Chapter One: Reading Wangechi Mutu’s Non je ne regrette rien through Kindred
Tiffany Barber
Chapter Two: Afrofuturism on Web 3.0: Vernacular Cartography and Augmented Space
Nettrice Gaskins
Chapter Three: The Real Ghost in the Machine: Afrofuturism and the haunting of racial space in I Robot and DETROPIA
Ricardo Guthrie
Part II: Planetary Vibes, Digital Ciphers, and Hip Hop Sonic Remix
Chapter Four: The Armageddon Effect — and Other Afrofuturist Chronopolitics of Alien Nation
tobias C. van Veen
Chapter Five: Afrofuturism’s Musical Princess Janelle Monáe: Psychadelic Soul Message Music Infused with a Sci-Fi Twist
Grace D. Gipson
Chapter Six: Hip Hop Holograms: Tupac Shakur, Technological Immortality and Time Travel
Ken McCleod
Part III: Forecasting Dark Bodies, Africology, and the Narrative Imagination
Chapter Seven: Afrofuturism and Religion: Our Old Ship of Zion
Andrew Rollins
Chapter Eight: Playing a Minority Forecaster in Search of Afrofuturism: Where Am I in this Future, Stewart Brand?
Lonny Avi Brooks
Chapter Nine: Rewriting the Narrative: Communicology and the Speculative Discourse of Afrofuturism
David DeIuliis and Jeff Lohr
Chapter Ten: Africana Women’s Science Fiction and Narrative Medicine: Difference, Ethics and Empathy
Esther Jones
Chapter Eleven: “To be African is to Merge Technology and Magic”: An Interview with Nnedi Okorafor
Quianna Whitted
About the Contributors

Editorial Reviews

Afrofuturism 2.0 proves to be not only an educational experience, but a necessary provocation of questions on Pan-Arab culture, which may be read through various Palestinian states of being – whether present, absent, or imagined.... Taken from a wider perspective, Afrofuturism, as the book seeks to assert, can be moulded into a vibrant, analytical framework for exploring notions and practices of temporality in African cultural production. Indeed, the numerous studies and examples that unfold across the different parts of the book point to the rising instrumentalization of futurist and sci-fi aesthetics as important politically charged practices within contemporary Afrodiasporic culture.

Tohu

"It's a rare event when an anthology captures the essence of a movement, so timely, yet still in its infancy. Imagining alternative realities for people of the African diaspora is the genesis for social change. This collection is leading the charge by questioning historical perceptions and redefining identity."

Ajani Brown

Do your interest lie in the connections between music, art, science and futurity as performed and lived through Black people of the African diaspora? Or, through your engagement with popular culture, have you heard the terms AstroBlackness, Black Speculative Fiction, Afrofuturism, or Black Futurism and have wondered what they mean or what they are? If you have asked yourself these questions and want a deeper understanding than what a good Google search can provide, Reynaldo Anderson and Charles E. Jones edited volume Afrofuturism 2.0: The Rise of Astro-Blackness is the intellectually and culturally grounded place to begin your study.... Afrofuturism 2.0 should be looked upon as central read for anyone interested in the discourses of Africana diaspora and the future. For communication scholars focused on digital media, fandom, Black Geek/Nerd discourse, speculative fiction, science fiction or other discourses grounded in the Black imaginative— essays in this volume are foundational locations for depth in analysis. It is hard to imagine discussion on the rhetoric of Black Panther, Luke Cage or DC Legends without a functional reading of Afrofuturism 2.0.

Iowa Journal of Communication

Reynaldo Anderson and Charles E. Jones assemble a remarkable collection in Afrofuturism 2.0....Anderson and Jones have taken Afrofuturism in fascinating directions, encouraging scholars to consider how the concept is expressed across media. I strongly recommend this volume to scholars and research libraries, as well as for the college classroom.

Science Fiction Studies

Afrofuturism 2.0 proves to be not only an educational experience, but a necessary provocation of questions on Pan-Arab culture, which may be read through various Palestinian states of being - whether present, absent, or imagined.... Taken from a wider perspective, Afrofuturism, as the book seeks to assert, can be moulded into a vibrant, analytical framework for exploring notions and practices of temporality in African cultural production. Indeed, the numerous studies and examples that unfold across the different parts of the book point to the rising instrumentalization of futurist and sci-fi aesthetics as important politically charged practices within contemporary Afrodiasporic culture.

Do your interest lie in the connections between music, art, science and futurity as performed and lived through Black people of the African diaspora? Or, through your engagement with popular culture, have you heard the terms AstroBlackness, Black Speculative Fiction, Afrofuturism, or Black Futurism and have wondered what they mean or what they are? If you have asked yourself these questions and want a deeper understanding than what a good Google search can provide, Reynaldo Anderson and Charles E. Jones edited volume Afrofuturism 2.0: The Rise of Astro-Blackness is the intellectually and culturally grounded place to begin your study.... Afrofuturism 2.0 should be looked upon as central read for anyone interested in the discourses of Africana diaspora and the future. For communication scholars focused on digital media, fandom, Black Geek/Nerd discourse, speculative fiction, science fiction or other discourses grounded in the Black imaginative-- essays in this volume are foundational locations for depth in analysis. It is hard to imagine discussion on the rhetoric of Black Panther, Luke Cage or DC Legends without a functional reading of Afrofuturism 2.0.

Reynaldo Anderson and Charles E. Jones assemble a remarkable collection in Afrofuturism 2.0....Anderson and Jones have taken Afrofuturism in fascinating directions, encouraging scholars to consider how the concept is expressed across media. I strongly recommend this volume to scholars and research libraries, as well as for the college classroom.

From the Publisher