Policing Black Bodies

Systemic

On this episode of Systemic, our host Dan Kimbrough sits down with Dr. Melissa Anyiwo. Dr. Anyiwo is an Associate Professor of History and Coordinator of Black Studies at the University of Scranton, Pennsylvania. She is also the Co-Chair of the Vampire Studies Area of the National Popular Culture Association. A transplanted Nigerian-British citizen with a background in race, gender, diversity, and visual archetypes, she writes and presents on vampires and their connection to racial and gendered stereotypes. She has published several works on teaching diversity using these images.

Our discussion examines will look at the policing of Black bodies throughout history through the lens of othering. We all know the image of the evil and vile Black man, the sexy and voluptuous Jezebel, or the docile Mamie. But have we given thought to the purpose of these images and how they further an obsession with controlling and monitoring Black bodies?