Zandra F. Robinson

PhD
Robinson in 2019
Born1982 (age 41–42)
Memphis, Tennessee, US
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)Scholar, writer
Spouse(s)Marco Pavé, m. 2018
Children2
Academic background
EducationUniversity of Memphis, BA Northwestern University, PhD
Academic work
DisciplineSociologist
Sub-disciplineRacial politics, Black American culture, the American south
InstitutionsGeorgetown University
Websitehttps://newsouthnegress.com/

Zandria F. Robinson (born 1982)[1] is an American writer and scholar. Her work focuses on popular music, ethnography, and race and culture in the American south. She is the author of two books: This Ain't Chicago: Race, Class, and Regional Identity in the Post-Soul South (2014) and Chocolate Cities: The Black Map of American Life (2018). Robinson is an associate professor of African-American studies at Georgetown University.[2][3]

Early life and education

Robinson was born in Memphis, Tennessee, and raised in the city's East Whitehaven Park neighborhood.[1] She received her bachelor's degree and master's degree in sociology from University of Memphis, and later received her doctoral degree in sociology from Northwestern University.[1]

Career

Robinson returned to Memphis after receiving her degree to work briefly as an adjunct at University of Memphis. She then worked for three years as a tenure-track professor at University of Mississippi. Robinson then returned to University of Memphis, where she remained for six years.[4] In 2015, she accepted a position at Rhodes College.[5] She joined the faculty at Georgetown University as an associate professor in the department of African-American studies in 2019.[6]

Robinson's first book, titled This Ain't Chicago: Race, Class, and Regional Identity in the Post-Soul South, was published in 2014 by UNC Press.[7][8] The book uses interviews with African Americans who live in Memphis and "critiques ideas of black identity constructed through a northern lens and situates African Americans as central shapers of contemporary southern culture."[9] She received the Eduardo Bonilla-Silva Award for the book.[10]

Her second book, co-authored with Marcus Anthony Hunter, is called Chocolate Cities: The Black Map of American Life.[11][12] Published in 2018 by University of California Press, the authors "present an alternative cartography of the United States, a "Black map" — showing how Black people and culture have shaped what we know as American culture".[1]

She is a contributor to the 2019 anthology New Daughters of Africa, edited by Margaret Busby.[13]

Twitter statements and mistaken firing

In 2015, Robinson received backlash over her tweets related to white students' perceptions that Black college students are admitted due to their race, and statements related to criticism of the Confederate flag.[14][15] The story was picked up by conservative media outlets such as The Daily Caller and many people called for her to be fired.[16] Shortly after, the University of Memphis tweeted that Robinson was no longer employed at the university.[14] The statement led many to believe she had been dismissed.[15] In response, over 100 Black scholars circulated a letter that "argue[d] that black scholars are at particular risk right now, when campuses are rife with heightened surveillance by disgruntled students and administrators unwilling or unable to go to bat for faculty."[16] It was later announced that Robinson had already accepted a position at another university, which the University of Memphis had not stated in their initial tweet.[16][17]

Personal life

Robinson married artist and musician Marco Pavé in 2018. She has two children: Assata (born 2009), a daughter from a previous relationship; and Jordan (born 2014), a son with Pavé.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Fogle, Anna Traverse (2018-03-05). "Diamonds & Chocolate". Memphis magazine. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
  2. ↑ Robinson, Zandria F. This ain't Chicago : race, class, and regional identity in the post-soul South. Chapel Hill. ISBN 978-1-4696-1424-3. OCLC 871037814.
  3. ↑ "'Chocolate Cities' Draws New Maps of Black American Life". PopMatters. 2018-03-12. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
  4. ↑ "Zeezus Does the Firing 'Round Hurr". New South Negress. 2015-07-02. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
  5. ↑ "Fitting Memphis Into The Southern Narrative". NPR.org. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
  6. ↑ "Georgetown University Faculty Directory". gufaculty360.georgetown.edu. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
  7. ↑ Borger, Michael Ian. "This Ain't Chicago. Race, Class, and Regional Identity in the Post-Soul South By Zandria F. Robinson". City & Community. 94: e98 – via Wiley.
  8. ↑ Tolnay, Stewart E. (June 2016). "This Ain't Chicago. Race, Class, and Regional Identity in the Post-Soul South By Zandria F. Robinson University of North Carolina Press. 2014. 238 pages. $29.95 paper". Social Forces. 94 (4): e98. doi:10.1093/sf/sou112. ISSN 0037-7732.
  9. ↑ "This Ain't Chicago | Zandria F. Robinson". University of North Carolina Press. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
  10. ↑ Quinn, Molly. "The Essential Black, Southern, Woman Writer Who You Need to Know". Lenny Letter. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
  11. ↑ Meghji, Ali (April 2019). "Chocolate Cities: The Black Map of American Life". Sociology of Race and Ethnicity. 5 (2): 305–306. doi:10.1177/2332649219827829. ISSN 2332-6492. S2CID 189074929.
  12. ↑ Winant, Howard (2019-02-17). "Notes on chocolate cities". Ethnic and Racial Studies. 42 (3): 439–442. doi:10.1080/01419870.2019.1536276. ISSN 0141-9870. S2CID 150151791.
  13. ↑ Hayden, Sally (2019-03-16). "New Daughters of Africa review: vast and nuanced collection". The Irish Times.
  14. 1 2 Jaschik, Scott (2015-07-01). "The Professor Who Wasn't Fired". www.insidehighered.com. Retrieved 2021-06-07.
  15. 1 2 Thomason, Andy (2015-07-01). "How One Professor's Tweets Got Her Fired — or So It Seemed at First". The Chronicle of Higher Education Blogs: The Ticker. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
  16. 1 2 3 McClain, Dani (2015-07-14). "Why 100 Black Intellectuals Rallied Behind This Professor". The Nation. ISSN 0027-8378. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
  17. ↑ "Dr. Zandria Robinson takes position at Rhodes College". WREG.com. 2015-07-01. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
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