Fall 2020 Graduate Research Series

The Graduate Research Series (GRS) will be held virtually this semester when the Libraries hosts James J. Fisher, a history doctoral student in the College of Arts and Sciences, to speak about his research. The free virtual event will take place on Nov. 17 at 11:00 a.m. on Microsoft Teams.

The Graduate Research Series is held each semester to showcase graduate and doctoral research and research methods. The speaker series is supported by the Graduate Student Senate and University Libraries. Presenters are selected by a committee comprised of members of the Graduate Student Senate and representatives from the Libraries.

In his GRS presentation, Fisher will speak specifically about how Patrice Lumumba, the first prime minister of the Congo, and Thomas Sankara, a former president of Burkina Faso, are represented in African popular culture. Fisher argues in his research that both men were memorialized in art throughout Africa due to their deaths as political martyrs.

“This is significant because of the roles they played in the development of contemporary African political thought and the fact that they were both revolutionaries,” he said.

Fisher’s research generally investigates how art and politics influence each other. He earned his bachelor’s in history and Black world studies from Miami University and his master’s, also in history, from Ohio University. Fisher is currently defending his prospectus for his PhD, which is a continuation of his previous research on popular culture, politics and intellectual history. 

“That was really interesting to me,” he said, “and this has ended up becoming the main focus of my research, which is looking at the intersection of politics and music broadly in the Senegambia and then more broadly in the Atlantic world.” 

Fisher believes that his talk may interest people who study Africa, as well as those who are generally concerned with pop culture and the role it plays in shaping politics, and vice versa. He hopes that people walk away with a better understanding of the broader applications of his research and an appreciation for Patrice Lumumba and Thomas Sankara.

“These leaders did all these great things, and then we tend to just forget that they were around,” Fisher said. “They’re very well known in Africa, but in America we don’t recognize them as much.”

Registration is required to watch James J. Fisher’s talk, titled “The Politics of Remembrance and Memorialization in Africa,” on Nov. 17 at 11:00 a.m. Register here for this free event.

To request accessibility accommodations, or for more information about the event, contact Jen Harvey.