Blue Humanities, Black Humanities

Water is a central theme in Black queer ecological thought. It is at once a metaphor, a method, and a material condition for lives shaped and lost by oceanic crossings. In this course, oceanic spaces will become our laboratories for understanding Black queer sociality, gender, and sexuality. We will turn to critical thinkers who grapple with the depths of the sea. For example, we will contemplate how water floods Dionne Brand’s memory as she searches for the “Door of No Return.” We will also examine the unflinching manner in which Christina Sharpe charts the wake, tracing what water erases. Additionally, we will discuss Alexis Pauline Gumbs’s poetic breath as she breathes with marine mammals. Ultimately, we will explore a wide range of literature, poetry, and visual culture to understand what “endures” after maritime encounters.