Sponsored Projects
The broad goals of the Center for Studying Structures of Race are enhanced through the coordination and support of a variety of ongoing projects. The projects include a mixture of the following lecture series, reading groups, and student-faculty research projects:
Colloquium on the Structures of Race
The CSSR sponsors reading groups focused on postcolonial studies, science studies, philosophy, and race. The reading groups include participants from Roanoke College and our surrounding community.
‘Racism and Social Structures’
In partnership with the Public Health and Sociology Department, the CSSR co-sponsors a film and lecture series focused on topics that directly connect to the CSSR annual theme.
Memorials and Monuments Research Project
The Memorials and Monuments project will carry out research about forms of public commemoration linked to the history of slavery and its aftermaths. In addition to conducting research on specific monuments, this study will support efforts to create new memorials related to the legacies of slavery.
Genealogy of Slavery Research Project
The Genealogy of Slavery project focuses on the specific history of slavery at Roanoke College and the surrounding region. This research will attempt to identify the enslaved people whose labor helped build the college. Moreover, the project will supplement efforts to think about the epistemic genealogy of Roanoke College, and the role that slavery and institutional racism have played in shaping our college.
On the Arts
The On the Arts project emphasizes the importance of displaying, evaluating, and viewing works of art that speak to questions of race and structural racism. This project has been developed in partnership with the Olin Hall Galleries. The first exhibit, “On Jupiter,” will open in January of 2022.
Truth and Beauty: An Artist and Writers' Series
This lecture and presentation series, co-sponsored by the CSSR, brings artists and writers to campus to discuss and read their work. Previous speakers have included Daesha Devón Harris, Jeremy Dennis, and Hanif Abdurraqib.
Asian American Lecture Series
The CSSR sponsors a lecture series, connected to existent courses at Roanoke College, that addresses issues related to Asian American history. These lectures will include discussion of Chinese labor history, history of hate crimes against Asian Americans, and a virtual tour of the Museum of Asian Americans.
BRIDGES Program
The CSSR supports the Education Department’s BRIDGES program by co-sponsoring reading groups, guest lecturers for existing courses, and community engagement events.
Amerindian Indigeneity Working Group
The CSSR is creating a working group focused on Amerindian Indigeneity. The working group will create new courses, sponsor campus visits from relevant scholars, and coordinate a new reading group.