Voices of the Black Imaginary
Voices of the Black Imaginary is a unique oral history archive derived from interviews with scholars and creatives engaged with Afrofuturism. Defined broadly, Afrofuturism offers a way to rethink the place of race, art, science, and design in society. With roots in a longer history of black speculative practice and Afrodiasporic experience, the practice and theory linked to Afrofuturism offers new ways to see and understand our world.
Subjects in the collection are engaged with contemporary Afrofuturist thought and action. Their comments represent a unique opportunity to understand the dynamic evolution of black speculative practice in the United States.
This project is led by Dr. Julian Chambliss in the Department of English at Michigan State University. The collection would not be possible without the support of the Zora Neale Hurston Festival of the Arts and Humanities. The festival’s 2020-2024 cycle centers Afrofuturism and served as venue to speak to many of the subjects.