Afronauts is a 2014 science fiction short film about Zambian outcasts preparing to beat America in the space race to the moon. Written and directed by Ghanaian filmmaker Nuotama Bodomo , Afronauts is her pre-thesis film for NYU 's Tisch School of the Arts Graduate Film Program.
99-415: Set in the 1960s, 17-year-old Matha is chosen to be Zambia's first person to land on the moon. Through a series of space training experiments led by school teacher Nksoloso's space program, the group of Zambian exiles plan to beat the U.S. to the moon. Matha deals with the expectations and responsibility placed upon her while her aunt fears Matha is being used as a disposable sacrifice. The Afrofuturist film
198-412: A "cornerstone of early 80's beatbox afrofuturism". During the 1980s, the burgeoning Detroit techno scene also developed a futurist vision specific to Detroit's suburban black community. A newer generation of artists are creating mainstream Afrofuturist music – for example, Janelle Monáe , Outkast , Missy Elliott , Solange , jazz composer Nicole Mitchell and Erykah Badu . In
297-511: A Spacegirl, Two Cats and a Missionary” and requested a £7M grant from UNESCO . Bodomo first discovered the afronauts on Tumblr in YouTube video of a 1964 newsreel of the Zambian space program. The black and white film aesthetic of Afronauts replicates 1960s black and white photos and videos of Africa and questions the validity and reality of ethnography and newsreels of the time, as well as creating
396-410: A black artist space, and occupied by four artists (Antoine Williams, Donté Hayes, Deborah Goffe, and André M. Zachery), embodying Afrofuturism, flexibly defining the term, as envisioning black people in the future and how that "connects with science and technology and new discoveries" and how parts of black history shape "the future, community, self-determination, [and] working towards a goal" according to
495-466: A deviant beauty, a beauty in which disembodiment is both inhumane, yet distinct; Afro-Futuristic artists speculate on the future, where Afro-Surrealism is about the present. Afrofuturism takes representations of the lived realities of black people in the past and present, and reexamines the narratives to attempt to build new truths outside of the dominant cultural narrative. By analyzing the ways in which alienation has occurred, Afrofuturism works to connect
594-432: A member of University of Chicago's Arts Incubator, is currently exploring the relation between Afrofuturism and the grotesque through her visual and written work with weaves and collected hair. Recently, she also created an audio narrative in collaboration with another Afrofuturist, Perpetual Rebel, called The Two Thousand and Thirteen Narrative(s) of Naima Brown , which explores the ideas of identity and transformation within
693-791: A member of the World Economic Forum Network on AI, the Internet of Things, and the Future of Trust, and the Council on Big Data, Ethics, and Society . Nelson is past chair of the American Sociological Association 's Science, Knowledge, and Technology section; from 2020 to 2021, she was president-elect of the international scholarly association, the Society for Social Studies of Science , relinquishing this leadership role when she assumed
792-501: A more equitable and inclusive future. Additional musical artists to emerge since the turn of the millennium regarded as Afrofuturist include dBridge , SBTRKT , Shabazz Palaces , Heavyweight Dub Champion , and Drexciya (with Gerald Donald ). Other artists include visual artists Hebru Brantley as well as contemporary artist Rashid Johnson , a Chicago native currently based in New York. In 2013, Chicago resident Ytasha L. Womack wrote
891-498: A more inclusive government;" Protocol said she was "the embodiment" of candidate Biden's commitment "to bring a civil rights lens to all of his administration's policies, including tech policy." Science magazine reported that Nelson's appointment reflected President Biden's concern with how the "benefits of science and technology remain unevenly distributed across racial, gender, economic, and geographic lines." As OSTP principal deputy director for science and society, Nelson oversaw
990-608: A people's Bill of Rights for automated technologies; a national strategy for STEM equity; appointment of the nation's Chief Technology Officer; data-driven guidance for implementing the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law; a transformative, life-saving Community Connected Health initiative; and programs to ensure the U.S. remains a magnet for the world's top innovators and scientists." Nelson served as acting director until October 3, 2022, when she swore in Arati Prabhakar as
1089-668: A policy planning process for the creation of an "AI Bill of Rights." On October 4, 2022, OSTP released the "Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights." As OSTP acting director for eight months, Nelson "push[ed] policymaking motivated by... the notion that emerging technologies should be built with the fundamental rights held by citizens in a democratic society as their blueprint," including digital assets, climate and energy science and technology innovation, artificial intelligence, privacy-enhancing technologies, and public health measures such as indoor air quality for COVID-19 mitigation. Nelson advanced President Biden's Cancer Moonshot and administered
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#17328595282131188-417: A predecessor to Afrofuturist literature. Yaszek believes that Ellison does not offer any other futures so that the next generation of authors can. A number of contemporary science fiction and speculative fiction authors have also been characterized as Afrofuturist or as employing Afrofuturist themes by one person or another. Nancy Farmer won a Newbery Honor for her afrofuturist young adult novel The Ear,
1287-892: A seminal group show of Visual Afrofuturists focusing on unambiguous science fiction and fantasy based art. The show, titled 'Unveiling Visions: The Alchemy of the Black Imagination' ran from 1 October 2015 – 16 January 2016. The closing night coincided with the Schomburg Black Comic Book Day. Unveiling Visions was curated by artist John Jennings (co-founder of artist duo, Black Kirby w/Professor Stacey Robinson) and Afrofuturist Scholar, Reynaldo Anderson (founder of The Black Speculative Arts Movement). The show featured artists such as Tony Puryear, Sheeba Maya, Mshindo Kuumba, Eric Wilkerson, Manzel Bowman, Grey Williamson, Tim Fielder, Stacey Robinson, and Shawn Alleyne. Unveiling Visions liner notes state: "exhibition includes artifacts from
1386-494: A sense of "otherworldliness." The short film was shot in Brooklyn and New Jersey. A feature film of the same title and story is currently in the works. It will be written and directed by Nuotama Bodomo and produced by Vincho Nchogu and Ryan Zacarias. The film is supported by Sundance Institute , Cinereach , Tribeca Film institute , IFP , Film independent , Alfred P. Sloan Foundation . In 2014, Bodomo kicked off development for
1485-617: A staple in Afrofuturistic music, with Janelle Monáe , a notable contemporary musical artist, incorporating characters and sci-fi storylines into their Afrofuturistic music and album visuals. This also applies to Jimi Hendrix 's work such as Electric Ladyland and " Third Stone from the Sun ". Provoked by Miles Davis to use electric keyboards, Herbie Hancock quickly developed his taste for gadgets into an appreciation for electric and synthesized sounds. He did this in his solo career throughout
1584-569: A way to ensure they follow the "Standards" and are not classified as a "Dirty Computer". Monáe's artistic vision extends beyond mere entertainment, serving as a reflection of present realities and a cautionary tale for the future. By embracing Afrofuturist themes and leveraging technology as a narrative device, Monáe invites audiences to confront uncomfortable truths and contemplate the potential consequences of unchecked power and systemic injustice. Through her music and storytelling, Monáe continues to use artistic expression to challenge societal norms for
1683-458: A wide scope of enunciations and theories regarding the dystopian or utopian parts of future (or potentially elective) lives or real factors, including, in numerous examples, contact with outsider others. In other words, good fiction writing should not be judged by a person's color or race. Tim Fielder 's 2021 graphic novel Infinitum: An Afrofuturist Tale features the partially historical narrative of an immortal African king. In February 2021,
1782-651: A year, the NMAAHC opened an exhibit titled Afrofuturism: A History of Black Futures . The museum also released an accompanying book called with the same name. Jared Richardson's Attack of the Boogeywoman: Visualizing Black Women's Grotesquerie in Afrofuturism assesses how the aesthetic functions as a space for black women to engage with the intersection of topics such as race, gender, and sexuality. The representation and treatment of black female bodies
1881-650: Is Director of the Brotherhood/Sister Sol , a Harlem-based youth development organization, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Innocence Project, and Mozilla. Nelson was a member of the board for African-American Affairs at Monticello . She serves on the advisory board of the Obama Presidency Oral History Project. From 2014 to 2017, Nelson was the academic curator for
1980-471: Is a cultural aesthetic , philosophy of science, and history that explores the intersection of the African diaspora culture with science and technology. It addresses themes and concerns of the African diaspora through technoculture and speculative fiction , encompassing a range of media and artists with a shared interest in envisioning black futures that stem from Afro-diasporic experiences. While Afrofuturism
2079-572: Is a key factor of Afrofuturism. This is evident in The Memory Librarian: and Other Stories by Dirty Computer . The first example of technology being used as a warning of what is to come if we do not proceed with caution and change our current socio-political climate, as well as a symbol for future and current ways of oppression. In this story, technology is used to wipe memories. Hence, its victims are reborn without knowing their past selves, only what they have been conditioned to believe according to
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#17328595282132178-520: Is a pioneer in study of race and technology, a field of inquiry she helped to establish in the late 1990s. In 2001, with co-authors, Nelson contributed a chapter to, and co-edited—with Thuy Linh N. Tu — Technicolor: Race, Technology and Everyday Life , one of the first scholarly works to examine the racial politics of contemporary technoculture. Nelson founded and led the Afrofuturism on-line community in 1998, and edited an eponymous special issue of
2277-454: Is a work of speculative fiction. It challenges the "Western gaze" and imagines Africans traveling to space with themes of technology being used as a tool to challenge colonialism and gain independence . It is inspired by the true story of school teacher and activist Edward Mukuka Nkoloso training 17-year-old Matha Mwamba and two cats by rolling them down hills in oil drums to become astronauts. Nkoloso wrote an Op-Ed “ We’re Going to Mars! With
2376-428: Is consistent with Trey Ellis' essay, "The New Black Aesthetic" in that the art seeks to disturb. Afro-Futuristic art samples from old art pieces updating them with current images. This technique calls to the forefront those past images and the sentiments, memories, or ideas around them and combines them with new images in a way that those of the current generation can still identify. Afro-Futuristic artists seek to propose
2475-502: Is deconstructed by Afrofuturist contemporaries and amplified to alien and gruesome dimensions by artists such as Wangechi Mutu and Shoshanna Weinberger. Beyoncé 's 2016 short film Lemonade included feminist afrofuturism in its concept. The film featured music duo Ibeyi , artist Laolu Senbanjo , actresses Amandla Stenberg , Quvenzhané Wallis , and Zendaya , as well as YouTube singing stars Chloe x Halle , ballet dancer Michaela DePrince , and 2015 Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of
2574-498: Is most commonly associated with science fiction , it can also encompass other speculative genres such as fantasy , alternate history and magic realism , and can also be found in music. The term was coined by American cultural critic Mark Dery in 1993 and explored in the late 1990s through conversations led by Alondra Nelson . Ytasha L. Womack , writer of Afrofuturism: The World of Black Sci-Fi and Fantasy Culture , defines it as "an intersection of imagination, technology,
2673-538: Is wiping out one's memory. This is shown visually in her short film Dirty Computer . Monáe highlights how oppressors can easily use technology to control the oppressed. The other two examples of how Monáe uses technology to showcase the relationship between humans is how AI is utilized in a more technologically advanced way as well as Seshet, the Director Memory Librarian, amongst others in an authoritative position able to access people's dreams and memories as
2772-751: The American Journal of Public Health on the Black Panther Party's health legacy, which Nelson co-curated, and was recognized with several awards, including the Mirra Komarovsky Book Award. With co-authors, Nelson contributed chapters to, and co-edited—with Keith Wailoo and Catherine Lee — Genetics and the Unsettled Past: The Collision of DNA, Race, and History , published in 2012. In 2016, she published The Social Life of DNA: Race, Reparations, and Reconciliation After
2871-689: The African diaspora . Contemporary practice retroactively identifies and documents historical instances of Afrofuturist practice and integrates them into the canon. For example, the Dark Matter anthologies edited by Sheree Thomas feature contemporary black science fiction , discuss Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man in her introduction, "Looking for the Invisible", and also include older works by W. E. B. Du Bois , Charles W. Chesnutt , and George S. Schuyler . Lisa Yazsek argues that Ralph Ellison 's 1952 novel, Invisible Man , should be thought of as
2970-892: The American Association for the Advancement of Science , the American Academy of Political and Social Science , and the Sociological Research Association . She is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations . Before joining the Biden Administration, Nelson was co-chair of the NAM Committee on Emerging Science, Technology, and Innovation, and a member of the National Academy of Engineering Committee on Responsible Computing Research. She has been
3069-536: The Hayward Gallery organised an exhibition of 11 contemporary artists from the African diaspora, who draw on science fiction, myth and Afrofuturism to question our knowledge of the world, curated by Ekow Eshun . Some of the artists included in the exhibition were Nick Cave , Rashad Newsome , Kara Walker , Hew Locke , Wangechi Mutu , Lina Iris Viktor and Ellen Gallagher . Starting on March 24, 2023, and lasting
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3168-472: The Marvel Comics superhero Black Panther can also be cited. Afrofuturism within music represents a diaspora of music that is non-traditional, focusing on the topic of blackness, space, and technology. It heavily features the artificial sounds of synthesizers and drum machines while incorporating lyrical themes of black history and cultural pride, progress, spirituality, and science fiction. One of
3267-533: The Metropolitan Museum of Art opened Before Yesterday We Could Fly: An Afrofuturist Period Room , an art exhibition engaging themes of Afrofuturism in a "period room" format of installation, envisioning the past, present, and future home of someone who lived in Seneca Village , a largely African American settlement destroyed to make way for the construction of Central Park in the mid-1800s. In 2022,
3366-602: The National Science Board of the National Science Foundation . Nelson researches and writes about the intersections of science, technology, medicine, and inequality. "At its core, her philosophy was that focusing solely on those communities' exclusion not just misread the past, but shriveled the future possibilities innovation holds for them," Politico noted. Nelson has also written extensively about genetics, genomics, race, and racialization. Nelson
3465-691: The New York Times reported that in the coming year, fans would see a number of graphic novels and comics with Afrofuturist themes, including some devoted to the fictional gene, and "reissues of Afrofuturist titles from comic-book houses like DC and Dark Horse." This includes the new novels After the Rain , Hardears , Black Star , and Infinitum , the latter by Tim Fielder, a new installment of N.K. Jemisin 's Far Sector , The Black Panther by Ta-Nehisi Coates and many other re-issued comics like E.X.O., along with an upcoming animated series named Iwájú . Around
3564-516: The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), would lead OSTP until permanent leadership could be confirmed. She was also appointed as deputy assistant to the president at this time. She was the first Black person and first woman of color to lead OSTP in the office's 46-year history. In this interim role, Nelson led "OSTP's six policy divisions in their work to advance critical administration priorities, including groundbreaking clean energy investments;
3663-733: The Venice Biennale Architecture (US Pavilion), "Future imperfect: The Uncanny in Science Fiction" at the Museum of Modern Art , "Into the Unknown: A Journey Through Science Fiction" at Barbican Centre , "African Futures" at Goethe-Institut Johannesburg, "Making Africa" at Vitra Design Museum . For the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 , Afronauts made its online debut in 2019 on numerous sites including Vernac Media , NoBudge , and Boiler Room's 4:3 . Afrofuturism Afrofuturism
3762-598: The YWCA of New York City and was also a member of its program committee. Nelson was a juror for the inaugural Aspen Words Literary Prize in 2017. She served as a juror for the Andrew Carnegie Fellows Program from 2018 to 2021, and since 2023. Nelson has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences , the American Philosophical Society , the National Academy of Medicine (NAM),
3861-453: The " digital divide ." The digital-divide framing, she argues, may overemphasize the role of access to technology in reducing inequality as opposed to other non-technical factors. Noting the racial stereotyping work of the "digital divide" concept, she writes, "Blackness gets constructed as always oppositional to technologically driven chronicles of progress." She continued, "Forecasts of a race-free (to some) utopian future and pronouncements of
3960-491: The "Standards". Those who are in minority groups, such as BIPOC and the LGBTQ+, are seen as "Dirty" and must be wiped clean. Monáe expands on this on page fourteen when Seshet goes out with Alethia, "With New Dawn, any gender nonconformity is enough to get you a deviant code appended to your number-dirty computer, recommended for urgent cleaning- and she doesn’t want to flag anyone tonight". The "urgent cleaning" that Seshet contemplates
4059-483: The 1970s and 1980s, at the same time adopting tribal names for his group and increasingly using electronics in his music, in a techno-primitive direction. His record covers were a very important element in this aesthetic, involving artists such as Robert Springett, Victor Moscoso and Nobuyuki Nakanishi. In 1975, Japanese artist Tadanori Yokoo used elements of science fiction, along with Eastern subterranean myths, to depict an advanced civilization in his design of
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4158-555: The African diaspora with its histories and knowledge of racialized bodies. Space and aliens function as key products of the science fiction elements; black people are envisioned to have been the first aliens by way of the Middle Passage . Their alien status connotes being in a foreign land with no history, but as also being disconnected from the past via the traditions of slavery where slaves were made to renounce their ties to Africa in service of their slave master. Kodwo Eshun locates
4257-558: The Cancer Cabinet. She encouraged greater transparency and engagement with the public in science and technology policy, championing public access to federal research, community-engaged science, and frequent external-facing communication about OSTP's work. Nelson represented United States in science and technology policy on the world stage, including at the OECD, the World Academy of Sciences,
4356-709: The Center for American Progress. In October 2023, she was nominated by the Biden-Harris Administration and appointed by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres to the UN High-Level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence. From 2021 to 2023, Nelson was deputy assistant to President Joe Biden and principal deputy director for science and society of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), where she performed
4455-674: The Columbia University Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Council, and served as the first Dean of Social Science for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. As dean, Nelson led the first strategic planning process for the social sciences at Columbia University, successfully restructured the Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy, and helped to establish several initiatives, including the Atlantic Fellows for Racial Equity program,
4554-494: The Corridor Gallery in Brooklyn, New York. The multidisciplinary art exhibit looks at the relationship between magical realism and afrofuturism through the black diaspora. In a description of the collection, Sandy stated: "There's a lot of looking back and looking forward happening in this work... [and there's a lot of] celebrating those journeys whether they are intentional or forced journeys." The exhibition Afro-Tech and
4653-569: The Department of American Studies at Skidmore College. [2] From 2003 to 2009, Nelson was assistant professor and associate professor of African American studies and sociology at Yale University , where she was the recipient of the Poorvu Award for Interdisciplinary Teaching Excellence and a Faculty Fellow in Trumbull College . At Yale, Nelson was the first African American woman to join
4752-464: The Department of Sociology faculty since its founding 128 years prior. Nelson was recruited to Columbia from Yale in 2009 as an associate professor of sociology and gender studies. She was the first African American to be tenured in the Department of Sociology at this institution. At Columbia, she directed the Institute for Research on Women and Gender (now the Institute for Gender and Sexuality), founded
4851-923: The Eric J. Holder Initiative for Civil and Political Rights, the June Jordan Fellowship Program, the Precision Medicine and Society Program, and the Sabancı Center for Turkish Studies. She left the Columbia University faculty in June 2019 to assume the Harold F. Linder chair and professorship at the Institute for Advanced Study , "the Princeton, New Jersey, organization that once housed the likes of Albert Einstein and J. Robert Oppenheimer." In February 2017,
4950-656: The Eye, and the Arm . Steven Barnes has been called an Afrofuturist author for his alternate-history novels Lion's Blood and Zulu Heart . N.K. Jemisin , Nalo Hopkinson , and Colson Whitehead have also been referred to as Afrofuturist authors. Butler inspired a movement with vision amongst the black speculative fiction writers. Octavia Butler's novels are often associated with Afrofuturism; this association has been somewhat controversial, since Butler incorporates multi-ethnic and multi-species communities that insist on "hybridity beyond
5049-592: The Fight Against Medical Discrimination , was praised by Publishers Weekly as deserving "commendation for its thoughtfulness and thoroughness," was noted as "a much-needed and major work that will set the standard for scholars" by the American Historical Review , and was hailed by leading scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. as "a revelation" and "a tremendously important book." Body and Soul inspired an October 2016 special issue of
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#17328595282135148-619: The Future of Re-Invention ran from 21 October 2017 until 22 April 2018 at Dortmunder U in Dortmund, Germany and looked at "speculative visions of the future and current developments in the field of digital technology by artists and inventors from Africa and the African diaspora...." These Afrofuturist artists used their art as revolution in that they saw its purpose as inspiring black people to imagine new possibilities and futures. "Black Metropolis: 30 Years of Afrofuturism, Comics, Music, Animation, Decapitated Chickens, Heroes, Villains and Negroes"
5247-933: The Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator, in meetings with the Republic of Korea, the European Commission, the Council of Europe, the Netherlands, Austria, Japan, the United Kingdom and others, and as Head of Delegation at the G7 Science Ministerial in Frankfurt, Germany—this meeting's topics included protecting the freedom, integrity and security of science and research; contributions of research to combating climate change; research on COVID-19 and its impacts; and support
5346-526: The Genome , considered to be a "landmark book". Kirkus Reviews described Nelson's book about the uses of genetic ancestry testing in Black communities, as a "meticulously detailed" work that "adds another chapter to the somber history of injustice toward African-Americans, but... one in which science is enriching lives by forging new identities and connections to ancestral homelands." Writer Isabel Wilkerson hailed
5445-690: The Genome . In 1994, Nelson earned a Bachelor of Science degree in anthropology, magna cum laude , from the University of California, San Diego , in 1994. While there, she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa . She earned a Ph.D. in American studies from New York University in 2003. From the Fall 1999 to the Spring 2001, Nelson was the New York University Minority Dissertation Fellow in
5544-400: The STEM fields, and new and emerging technology policy. She co-chaired the Equitable Data Working Group, a body that was established by President Biden by Executive Order 13985 , Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government, and co-authored its report. On October 8, 2021, Nelson co-authored an op-ed with OSTP Director Eric Lander announcing
5643-643: The Schomburg collections that are connected to Afrofuturism, black speculative imagination and Diasporan cultural production. Offering a fresh perspective on the power of speculative imagination and the struggle for various freedoms of expression in popular culture, Unveiling Visions showcases illustrations and other graphics that highlight those popularly found in science fiction, magical realism and fantasy. Items on display include film posters, comics, T-shirts, magazines, CD covers, playbills, religious literature, and more." In April 2016, Niama Safia Sandy curated an exhibit entitled "Black Magic: AfroPasts / Afrofutures" at
5742-403: The Social Science Research Council board of directors announced its selection of Nelson as the 94-year old organization's fourteenth president and CEO, succeeding Ira Katznelson . She was the first African American, first person of color, and second woman to lead the Social Science Research Council. Nelson's tenure as SSRC president ended in 2021 and was hailed as "transformative," particularly in
5841-460: The Social Sciences platform. Prior to her White House appointment, Nelson served on the boards of directors of the American Association for the Advancement of Science , the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation , the Center for Research Libraries , the Data and Society Research Institute, the Rockefeller Archive Center , the Russell Sage Foundation , the Teagle Foundation , and the United States International University Africa in Nairobi, Kenya. She
5940-528: The U.S. Senate-confirmed director of OSTP. Her January 2021 appointment as OSTP deputy director for science and society was praised as an "inspired choice" of "a distinguished scholar and thought leader," whose "scholarship on genetics, social inequality and medical discrimination is deeply insightful and hugely influential across multiple fields, most notably because of its focus on excellence, equity and fairness in scientific and medical innovation." Others anticipated Nelson would "open... many doors... to [create]
6039-472: The Year Serena Williams , and the sophisticated womanist poetry of Somali-British writer Warsan Shire . The mothers of Trayvon Martin (Sybrina Fulton), Michael Brown (Lesley McFadden), Eric Garner (Gwen Carr) are featured holding pictures of their deceased sons in homage to the importance of their lives. In D. Scot Miller's Afro-Surreal Manifesto, Afro-Surrealism is juxtaposed with European surrealism, with European surrealism being empirical. It
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#17328595282136138-426: The areas of intellectual innovation and institutional collaboration. At the SSRC, she established programs in the areas of new media and emerging technology; democracy and politics; international collaboration; anticipatory social research, and the study of inequality, including: the Social Data Initiative , "an ambitious research project that aimed to give academics access to troves of Facebook data in order to examine
6237-604: The book as the work of "one of this generation's most gifted scholars." The Social Life of DNA received honorable mention for the 2021 Diana Forsythe Book Award, was a finalist for the 2017 Hurston/Wright Legacy Award for Nonfiction, and was named a Favorite Book of 2016 by The Wall Street Journal . Nelson's writing and commentary have appeared in The New York Times , The Washington Post , The Boston Globe , The Guardian (London), and The Chronicle of Higher Education , among other publications. Nelson has received several awards, honors, and distinctions: She
6336-458: The center's coordinator, Dellyssa Edinboro. In February 2023, Megan Jordan of Rolling Stone argued that the series My Dad the Bounty Hunter is an "Afrofuturist marvel" which tells a futuristic and relatable story that "center[s] Black characters while expanding the audience’s imagination", provides thoughts of what the world could be "in true Black sci-fi fashion", and normalizes "Black heroism for future generations". The series premiered
6435-423: The companies of Idris Elba and his wife, Sabrina Dhowre , would be developing an Afrofuturist adult animated , sci-fi , series, tentatively titled Dantai , for Crunchyroll , which would be about a time when biotech has "created an ever-widening gap between the haves and have-nots". The series was also described as an "afropunk sci-fi series". In an April 2021 interview with Den of Geek , Idris Elba he said
6534-487: The context of hair and African-American culture. The movement has grown globally in the arts. Afrofuturist Society was founded by curator Gia Hamilton in New Orleans. Artists like Demetrius Oliver from New York, Cyrus Kabiru from Nairobi , Lina Iris Viktor from Liberia , famed Nigerian-American solar muralist, Shala., and Wanuri Kahiu of Kenya have all steeped their work in the cosmos or sci-fi. Today, Afrofuturism has been portrayed in popular movies like
6633-490: The cover art for African-American jazz musician Miles Davis's live album Agharta . Other musicians typically regarded as working in or greatly influenced by the Afrofuturist tradition include reggae producers Lee "Scratch" Perry and Scientist , hip-hop artists Afrika Bambaataa and Tricky , electronic musicians Larry Heard , A Guy Called Gerald , Juan Atkins , Jeff Mills , Newcleus and Lotti Golden & Richard Scher, writers of " Light Years Away ", described as
6732-431: The duties of the director from February to October 2022. She was the first African American and first woman of color to lead OSTP. Prior to her role in the Biden Administration , she served for four years as president and CEO of the Social Science Research Council , an independent, nonpartisan international nonprofit organization. Nelson was previously professor of sociology at Columbia University , where she served as
6831-496: The dystopian digital divide are the predominant discourses of blackness and technology in the public sphere. What matters is less a choice between these two narratives... and more what they have in common: namely the assumption that race is a liability in the twenty-first century... either negligible or evidence of negligence." In February 2005, Nelson was named one of "13 Notable Blacks In Technology" by Black Voices . Nelson's 2011 book, Body and Soul: The Black Panther Party and
6930-580: The earliest examples of this aesthetic can be seen in the film Space Is the Place which depicts the free jazz band of Sun Ra involved in a science fiction plot where the musician starts preparing a group of young black folks to colonize an outer planet, thus giving birth to a new afro-centric civilization in another planet. Studies on Afrofuturistic music highlight the genre's challenging of sonic norms by blending elements found in Hip-Hop, Jazz, R&B, Funk, and Electronic music. Melting together different sounds and cultures with Afrofuturist music emphasizes
7029-411: The early 1990s, Mark Dery , in his 1993 essay "Black to the Future", began to write about the features he saw as common in African-American science fiction. Dery dubbed this phenomenon Afrofuturism. Afrofuturist art has been written about by scholars like Alondra Nelson , Greg Tate , Tricia Rose , Kodwo Eshun , and others. In an interview, Alondra Nelson explained Afrofuturism as a way of looking at
7128-634: The feature as a part of a workshop with the Durban International Film Festival . Afronauts first premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and its international premiere was at the 2014 Berlin International Film Festival . Other exhibitions include "Dreamlands: Immersive Cinema and Art, 1905–2016" at the Whitney Museum of American Art , "Dimensions of Citizenship, Future Imperfect: The Uncanny in Science Fiction" at
7227-400: The feature film Black Panther . American costume designer Ruth E. Carter brought her vision to life. To best represent her work, she borrowed ideas from true African designs. "To imagine the fictional African nation of Wakanda , without the influence of [European colonizers], Ms. Carter borrowed from indigenous people across the continent ." In early February 2021, it was announced that
7326-530: The first alienation within the context of the Middle Passage. He writes that Afrofuturist texts work to reimagine slavery and alienation by using "extraterritoriality as a hyperbolic trope to explore the historical terms, the everyday implications of forcibly imposed dislocation, and the constitution of Black Atlantic subjectivities". This location of dystopian futures and present realities places science fiction and novels built around dystopian societies directly in
7425-413: The future and liberation". She also follows up with a quote by the curator Ingrid LaFleur, who defines it as "a way of imagining possible futures through a black cultural lens". Kathy Brown paraphrases Bennett Capers' 2019 work in stating that Afrofuturism is about "forward thinking as well as backward thinking, while having a distressing past, a distressing present, but still looking forward to thriving in
7524-778: The future". Others have said that the genre is "fluid and malleable", bringing together technology, African culture, and "other influences". Seminal Afrofuturistic works include the novels of Samuel R. Delany and Octavia Butler ; the canvases of Jean-Michel Basquiat and Angelbert Metoyer , and the photography of Renée Cox ; the cosmic avant-garde jazz of Sun Ra and his Arkestra; the explicitly extraterrestrial mythos of Parliament-Funkadelic ; Earth, Wind and Fire with their overt Afrocentric symbolism, bold performance attire and hopeful visions of Black sovereignty; Herbie Hancock 's partnership with Robert Springett and other visual artists, while developing his use of synthesizers. The Jonzun Crew , Warp 9 , Deltron 3030 , Kool Keith , and
7623-445: The inaugural Dean of Social Science, as well as director of the Institute for Research on Women and Gender. She began her academic career on the faculty of Yale University . Nelson writes and lectures widely on the intersections of science, technology, medicine, and social inequality. She has authored or edited articles, essays, and four books including, most recently, The Social Life of DNA: Race, Reparations, and Reconciliation after
7722-491: The journal Social Text in 2002. She is also among a small group of social theorists of Afrofuturism . Particularly, her 2002 essay "Future Texts" lends insight onto the inequitable access to technologies. Nelson explained Afrofuturism as a way of looking at the subject position of Black people that covers themes of alienation and aspirations for a better future. Additionally, Nelson notes that discussions around race, access, and technology often bolster uncritical claims about
7821-427: The narrative of two immortal Africans Doro and Anyanwu features science fiction technologies and an alternate anti-colonialist history of seventeenth century America. At the most straightforward sci-fi stories (likewise alluded to in this book as Sci-Fi and SF) is a social classification worried about parts of futurism, envisioned advances as well as between planetarism. Those focuses or direction take into consideration
7920-418: The oppressive natures of Earth. Other influences include Blade Runner and Star Wars . Additionally, Monáe expanded contemporary Afrofuturist explorations to literary media. In 2022, Monáe released a companion to her 2018 album, Dirty Computer , called The Memory Librarian: And Other Stories of Dirty Computer . Janelle Monáe uses technology to shed light on current social and political issues which
8019-919: The otherworldly, alternative nature that defines most Afrofuturist works. When performed live, the genre has been observed to combine distinct sounds and sound cultures across the African Diaspora. Jamaican-American party host, DJ Kool Herc, was a well-renowned DJ in the 1970s. He was one of the many disc jockeys on the 70s New York music scene responsible for mixing Jamaica's signature hefty, booming sound systems with R&B and Rap, bass-heavy African American genres. This combination maximized audience immersion and storytelling capabilities. Present-day Afrofuturistic musicians, such as Hip-Hop duo, Outkast , and Jazz composer, Nicole Mitchell , have traces of DJ Kool Herc's multi-cultural influences in their song arrangements and performances, utilizing his signature beat isolation and sound systems decades later. Afrofuturism
8118-835: The platform's impact on democracy," the Just Tech Fellowship , MediaWell , a misinformation and disinformation research platform, Democratic Anxieties in the Americas , the Transregional Collaboratory on the Indian Ocean , the Religion, Spirituality, and Democratic Renewal fellowship , the Arts Research with Communities of Color program, the Inequality Initiative , and the widely praised and influential COVID-19 and
8217-508: The point of discomfort". In Samuel R. Delany 's "The Mirror of Afrofuturism," in which he claims Afrofuturism as a genre does not exist, he explains how Butler, specifically her 2003 short story " Amnesty ", contains "something more powerful than any local notion of what creates racial distinctions." Portland State University Single Sign-On - Stale Request However, the fourth book of the science fiction Patternist series , Wild Seed , particularly fits ideas of Afrofuturist thematic concerns, as
8316-609: The realms of slavery and freedom through the world of cyborgs and the fashion industry. She is credited with proliferating Afrofuturist funk into a new neo-Afrofuturism by use of her Metropolis -inspired alter-ego, Cindi Mayweather, who incites a rebellion against the Great Divide, a secret society, in order to liberate citizens who have fallen under their oppression. This ArchAndroid role reflects earlier Afrofuturistic figures Sun Ra and George Clinton, who created their own visuals as extraterrestrial beings rescuing African-Americans from
8415-652: The rebuilding of Ukraine's science and research ecosystem. Nelson's tenure at OSTP ended in February 2023 at the conclusion of her public service leave from the Institute for Advanced Study. In October 2023, she was nominated by the White House, and then appointed by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, to serve on the UN High-level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence. On October 15, 2024, President Biden announced his appointment of Nelson to
8514-1016: The role of OSTP deputy director for science and society. Nelson has been a visiting scholar or fellow at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science , the BIOS Centre for the Study of Bioscience, Biomedicine, Biotechnology and Society at the London School of Economics , the Bavarian American Academy , the Bayreuth Academy, and the International Center for Advanced Studies at New York University . On February 17, 2022, President Joe Biden announced that Nelson, whom he'd previously appointed deputy director for science and society in
8613-456: The same month. It was later renewed for a second season, as stated in May 2023. The creation of the term Afrofuturism, in the 1990s, was often primarily used to categorize "speculative fiction that treats African-American themes and addresses African-American concerns in the context of 20th-century technoculture," but was soon expanded to include artistic, scientific, and spiritual practices throughout
8712-774: The same time, Kenyan artist Kevo Abbra, inspired by Afrofuturism in the 1990s, was interviewed, explaining how artistic expression has developed over time and his current artistic style. The first issue of the new Black Panther series was released on 16 February. As a part of the MOMA's PS1 festival, King Britt curated Moondance: A Night in the Afro Future in 2014. From noon to six p.m. on 13 April, people could attend Moondance and listen to lectures, live music or watch dance performances in celebration of Afrofuturism in contemporary culture. Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture held
8811-575: The series is "mainly the brainchild" of his wife, who he described as a "super geek when it comes to anime." Russell Contreras, in Axios , noted that Afrofuturism is growing in popularity, even as some worry it will be co-opted, and black writers announced in 2021, "Afrofuturist projects around gaming and virtual reality". In February 2021, the Center for Afrofuturist Studies, located at Public Space One in Iowa City, celebrated its fifth anniversary, flourishing as
8910-483: The study Afrofuturism: The World of Black Science Fiction and Fantasy , and William Hayashi has published all three volumes of his Darkside Trilogy which tells the story of what happens in America when the country discovers African Americans secretly living on the backside of the moon since before the arrival of Neil Armstrong, an extreme vision of segregation imposed by technologically advanced blacks. Krista Franklin ,
9009-996: The subject position of black people which covers themes of alienation and aspirations for a utopic future. The idea of "alien" or "other" is a theme often explored. Additionally, Nelson says that discussions around race, access, and technology often bolster uncritical claims about a so-called " digital divide ". Nelson is of the opinion that the digital divide overemphasizes the association of racial and economic inequality with limited access to technology, and that this association then begins to construct blackness "as always oppositional to technologically driven chronicles of progress". Contemporary Afrofuturism often explores metaphysical areas such as "cosmogony, cosmology, and speculative philosophy". A new generation of recording artists has embraced Afrofuturism through their music and fashion, including Solange Knowles , Rihanna , and Beyoncé . Other artists such as Erykah Badu , Missy Elliott and Janelle Monáe have expanded on these themes incorporating
9108-577: The tradition of black realities. Alondra Nelson Alondra Nelson (born April 22, 1968) is an American academic, policy advisor , non-profit administrator, and writer . She is the Harold F. Linder chair and professor in the School of Social Science at the Institute for Advanced Study , an independent research center in Princeton, New Jersey . Since March 2023, she has been a distinguished senior fellow at
9207-456: The use of cyborg and metallic visuals into their style. Other 21st century musicians who have been characterized as Afrofuturist include singer FKA Twigs , musical duo Ibeyi , musical artist Spoek Mathambo , DJ/producer Ras G , and musician and filmmaker Flying Lotus . Janelle Monáe's work emphasizes Afofuturist themes in urban contemporary music. Her notable works include the music videos "Prime Time" and "Many Moons", which explore
9306-672: The work of the scientific integrity task force, an interagency body mandated in President Biden's "Memorandum on Restoring Trust in Government Through Scientific Integrity and Evidence-Based Policymaking" to review scientific integrity policies and practices in the federal government, including cases of improper political interference in scientific research, and the distortion of scientific and technological data and findings. Her portfolio also include open science policy, policy to strengthen and broaden participation in
9405-607: Was a label also retroactively applied to George Clinton and his bands Parliament and Funkadelic with his magnum opus Mothership Connection (1975) and the subsequent The Clones of Dr. Funkenstein , P-Funk Earth Tour , Funkentelechy Vs. the Placebo Syndrome , and Motor Booty Affair . George Clinton's work and appearance embody Afrofuturistic themes, sporting shiny, futuristic clothing both on and off stage, using sci-fi and cosmic album theming, and addressing Black history in his lyrics. Parliament's Mothership Connection
9504-503: Was a one-man show focusing on the career of cartoonist and visual afrofuturist, Tim Fielder. The show, designed to travel over multiple gallery spaces, opened at New York Gallatin Galleries from 23 to 30 May 2016. Curated by Boston Fielder, the exhibit featured both published and unpublished work ranging from independent comics art for alternative magazine, Between C & D and mainstream comics work done for Marvel Comics. Black Metropolis
9603-504: Was born in Bethesda, Maryland , in 1968, the daughter of Robert Nelson, a career member of the U.S. Navy and retired master chief petty officer, and Delores Nelson, a cryptographer and systems analyst for the U.S. Army and Department of Defense. The eldest of four siblings, she was raised in San Diego, California . Nelson has one sister, Andrea, and two brothers, Robert and Anthony. She attended
9702-586: Was recognized for its themes of Black liberation and space in song arrangement, lyricism, and album visual aesthetics. The album cover art depicts a Black person, dressed head-to-toe in chrome, hanging out of a UFO in space. The album also introduces two of Clinton's alter egos, the Lollipop Man and Star Child. Parliament Funkadelic's strong worldbuilding and establishment of individualism and escapism in their work have been partly attributed to their inclusion of characters and alter egos in their music. Alter egos remain
9801-483: Was revived at The Hammonds House Museum in Atlanta, Georgia for the museum's 30th Anniversary, from 12 October–25 November 2018. Afrofuturism Art coincides with Afrofuturism Literature occasionally, such as in science fiction comic books. Just as Afrofuturism explores possibilities, so do the art in Afrofuturism comic books. For example, Black Panther, the movie and comic book is a form of Afrofuturism Literature. In 2021,
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