The Department of Geography Speaker Series presents Dr. Jovan Scott Lewis Professor and Chair, Dept. of Geography, University of California, Berkley.
Dr. Lewis will present the 2023-24 Speaker Series Taaffe Lecture: Beyond Injury: New Terms for Black Reparations.
Abstract: This talk addresses the concept of formal reparations, advocating for a comprehensive approach to address the multifaceted harm faced by Black communities. It challenges the traditional views of reparations, proposing a holistic representation of Blackness beyond the confines of external forces. The talk emphasizes Black communities' need to define their reparative processes, transcending the simplistic accounting of historical injustices, which I argue only reifies narratives of Black subjugation. I argue for a reparations framework that not only acknowledges past wrongs but also moves beyond the paradigm of injury and resistance to foster the affirmative development of Black life and relations as the new terms of Black repair.
