Two Question Tuesday: About Afrofuturism

I have the incredible privilege of serving on a comprehensive exam committee for a PhD student in English this spring. As part of that responsibility, I was asked to contribute two questions to the student’s exam. The student’s reading list focused on speculative Black fiction and I’ve been reading enough about Afrofuturism to have at least some grasp of what’s going on in the field (and the other two readers on the committee are experts and will [hopefully] keep me from making a fool of myself!).

For those of you who don’t read my blog regularly, the request to provide these questions was timely. Late week, I gave a paper on Sun Ra and archaeology at Franklin & Marshall and had a chance encounter with Marshall Allen outside the Arkestra house in Germantown. If this doesn’t make me an expert, I’m honestly not sure what will (that’s a joke!):

Anyway, here are my two questions: 

1. Afrofuturism has long been a transmedia phenomenon expressing itself through literature, music, film, and scholarship. The relationship between these media and their respective fan communities propels the ongoing development of Afrofuturism. In an 8-10 page double spaced critical response, address the following: How has transmedia character of Afrofuturism (and its related forms of speculative expression) supported its distinctive visions and forms of expression? How has the transmedia character of Afrofuturism challenged scholarly understanding and critiques? What do Jonelle Monae, Ryan Coogler, Big Boi, SZA (h/t to Mark Villegas), tell us about Nnedi Okorafor, Samuel Delaney, N. K. Jemisin, or Ytasha Womack (or whatever authors you want to consider)?

2. Sun Ra famously stated: “It’s after the end of the world, don’t you know that yet?” The idea that a Black present and future begins after the end of the world seems like a compelling place to start any discussion of Afrofuturism. (Kara Keeling also has some useful ways of thinking about this micro-manifesto.)

What do you think this means? Does it have anything to offer Afrofuturism? If so, what? If not, why? Work out your response here via 8-10 double-spaced pages of critical engagement.