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Brittney C. Cooper, Ph.D.
Address: University of Alabama, 101 Manly Hall, Box 870272,
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487/ Phone: 205-348-9556/ email: [email protected]
Education:
Emory University:
Doctor of Philosophy, Graduate Institute of Liberal Arts,
Program in American Studies, May 2009
Women’s Studies Certificate, May 2009
Master of Arts, Graduate Institute of Liberal Arts, December 2007
Howard University: Bachelor of Arts, English; Bachelor of Arts, Political Science
Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa, Honors Program Graduate
with Senior Thesis in English, May 2002
Academic Appointments:
Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow—Rutgers University, Center for Race and
Ethnicity, 2011-2012
Assistant Professor—University of Alabama, Department of Gender and Race Studies,
2009-Present
Publications:
Refereed Journal Articles:
“Maybe I’ll Be a Poet, Rapper”: Hip-Hop Feminism and Literary Aesthetics in
Sapphire’s Push” – African American Review (forthcoming 2012)
“A’n’t I A Lady?: On Race Women, Michelle Obama, and the Ever-Expanding
Democractic Imaginary” MELUS (Multi-Ethnic Literatures of the U.S.), Winter 2010,
Vol. 35, No.4
Book Chapters (Refereed):
“‘They Are Nevertheless Our Brethren’: The Order of Eastern Star and the Battle for
Women’s Leadership’” In “All Men Are Free and Are Brethren”: Prince Hall
Fraternalism and the Rise of a People edited by Steven Kantrowitz (forthcoming from
Cornell University Press, 2012).
“Louisiana’s Race Women: Cora Allen, the Calanthean Temple, and the Tradition of
Black Female Leadership in Shreveport, LA, 1899-1935” in Louisiana Women: Their
Lives and Times, Vol. 2, edited by Shannon Frystak and Mary Farmer-Kaiser
(forthcoming from University of Georgia Press, 2012)
“Nipplemania: Black Feminism, Corporeal Fragmentation and the Politics of Public
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Consumption” with Kimberly Wallace-Sanders. In Women in Popular Culture:
Representation and Meaning, edited by Marian Meyers. Cresskill: Hampton Press, 2008.
“Excavating the Love Below: The State as Patron of the Baby Mama Drama and
Other Ghetto Hustles.” In Home Girls Make Some Noise: A Hip Hop Feminist
Anthology, edited by Gwendolyn Pough, Elaine Richardson, Aisha Durham, and Rachel
Raimist, 320-344. Mira Loma: Parker Publishing, LLC, 2007.
Book Reviews:
“Fierce Ones: A Review of Sheri Parks Fierce Angels: The Strong Black Woman in
American Life and Culture.” Ms. Magazine, Spring 2010.
Encyclopedia Entries:
“Pauli Murray.” Great Lives from History: African Americans. Hackensack: Salem Press,
Forthcoming 2011.
“Susan L. Taylor.” In Encyclopedia of Contemporary African American History edited
by Gerald Horne, et. al. Oxford University Press, 2009.
Book Chapters (Under Review):
“You Can’t Keep a Good Woman Down: Rape, Repression, and Rihanna’s ‘Man
Down,’” Sex Crimes Against Black Girls (eds. Shantrelle Lewis and Yaba A. Blay)
“Talking Back and Taking My Amens With Me: Tyler Perry and the Narrative
Colonization of Black Womanhood.” Feminist and Womanist Responses to Tyler Perry’s
Cultural Productions. (eds. Carol B. Duncan, LeRhonda Manigault-Bryant and Tamura
Lomax)
Works in Progress:
Race Women: Gender and the Making of a Black Public Intellectual Tradition, 1831Present (Book manuscript)
“Womanism Revisited: Reflections on the State of Black Feminism Thirty Years Later”
(co-authored with Robin Boylorn) [article]
“But the Women Keep the Tempo: Notes Toward a Crunk Feminist Turn in
Hip Hop Feminism” (article)
“Stuck In Traffic: Black Feminism and the Intersectional Impasse” (article)
Digital Scholarship:
Crunk Feminist Collective [crunkfeministcollective.wordpress.com]—I am cofounder of this Hip Hop generation feminist-of-color collective of 18 scholaractivists throughout the country, who blog on issues related to feminism and
popular culture.
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“Lynching Remixed: The Execution of Troy Davis.” September 19, 2011.
“Refereeing Serena: Racism, Anger, and U.S. (Women’s) Tennis.” September 12,
2011
“Back to School Beatitudes: 10 Academic Survival Tips.” August 25, 2011.
“She Got a Big Ego: Thoughts on Dating with a Doctorate.” August 8, 2011.
“Tough Titty: On Feminist Mothering and the Breastfeeding Doll.” July 20, 2011.
“#FAME: On C. Breezy’s 12,000 Fans.” July 15, 2011.
“8 Reasons Why Formenism Can Ruin Your Love Life.” June 17, 2011
“Slutwalks vs. Ho Strolls.” May 23, 2011.
“The Ugly Truth: Today’s Psychologies of Racism and Sexism.” May 17, 2011.
“We Need Each Other to Survive: On Recovery and Reclamation.” May 5, 2011.
“Ten Crunk Commandments for Reinvigorating Hip Hop Feminist Studies.”
March 9, 2011.
“RE: Kanye West is Not a Feminist But…” January 31, 2011.
“Don’t Push Me, Cuz I’m Close to the Edge: For Kelly Williams-Bolar.” January
28, 2011.
“The Evidence of Things Not Seen: Sex and Power in the Black Church.”
September 29, 2010.
“Shirley Sherrod’s War: When Keepin It Racially Real Goes Wrong.” July 21,
2010.
“Thriving in Hostile Territory: Black Feminism in the College Classroom.” with
Robin Boylorn, July 1, 2010.
“War(rior) Women: For Harriet, Shoshana, and All the Rest.” May 31, 2010.
“Babykillers, Babydaddies, and Why Healthcare Can’t Wait.” March 22, 2010
“For Educated Black Girls Who’re Just Tryin’ to Maintain When Degrees Ain’t
Enuf.” March 18, 2010.
“Monique at the Oscars: Politics vs. Performance.” March 8, 2010.
“Hip Hop Generation Feminist Manifesto.” March 1, 2010.
Race-Talk.com [A Blog Project of the Kirwan Institute for Public Policy at Ohio State’
University]
• “Shirley Sherrod’s Victory: A Teachable Moment on Talking Race.” July 23,
2010.
• “Her Gifts Made Room for Us: The Visionary Pragmatism of Dr. Dorothy
Height.” April 21, 2010.
• “Not a Mouthpiece but a Megaphone: Haitian Women and Rape.” April 19, 2010.
• “Trying to Make A Dollar out of Fifteen Cents: Women, the Wealth Gap, and
Why Race Still Matters.” March 30, 2010.
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“On John Mayer’s Hood Pass: A Moment of Clarity.” February 16, 2010.
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“All the Single Ladies: Thoughts on the Black Marriage Crisis.” January 12,
2010. [Reposted by the Huffington Post, January 12, 2010.]
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“Keeping Up with the Joneses: A Precious Moment of Confrontation.” December
4, 2009.
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Interviews
• “The Help,” Women’s Magazine Goes to the Movies, KPFA Radio 94.1, August
22, 2011.
Teaching:
University of Alabama:
Assistant Professor of Gender and Race Studies: As core faculty in the Department of
Women’s Studies, I teach introductory and graduate level courses in the field. Courses
taught include Introduction to Women’s Studies, Black Feminist Thought, Feminist
Research Methods, Hip Hop Feminism and Black Intellectual Thought.
Spring 2010
Instructor, AAST 495/WS 510: Hip Hop: The Birth and Evolution – This upper level
undergraduate seminar explores the key figures and constitutive elements in the global
cultural movement known as Hip Hop.
Instructor, WS 535: Black Feminisms— This course exposes students to the key
concepts and thinkers that have shaped the emergence of Black feminist theory.
Fall 2010
Instructor, AAST 401/AAST 502: Black Intellectual Thought—This upper level
undergraduate seminar surveys key thinkers and concepts in Black history and politics,
paying particular attention to concepts of revolution, freedom, race, and feminism.
Instructor, WS 532: Issues and Problems in Women’s Studies Research – This qualitative
methods course introduces students to qualitative research from a feminist perspective.
Spring 2010
Instructor, WS 200: Introduction to Women’s Studies—This introductory course
familiarizes students with key concepts in the fields of gender and feminist studies.
Instructor, WS 510/AAST 495/ ENG 500: Black Feminism – This course exposes
students to the key concepts and thinkers that have shaped the emergence of Black
feminist theory.
Fall 2010
Instructor, WS 200: Introduction to Women’s Studies-- This introductory course
familiarizes students with key concepts in the fields of gender and feminist studies.
Instructor, WS 510: Bringing Wreck: Women, Hip Hop And Feminism – This course is
an indepth exploration of the emerging field of Hip Hop Feminism and engages key
generational debates in the field of Black feminism.
Emory University:
Co-Instructor ,AAS 385/ENG 389: Black Women Writers: The Emergence of a
Tradition, 1892-Present, Departments of English and African American Studies (Spring
2007)
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This course chronicles the emergence of the African American Women’s Literary
Tradition through a critical examination of novels by such writers as Frances
Harper, Alice Walker, Nella Larsen, and Toni Morrison. I became facilitator of
this class during the mid-semester after the illness of the primary instructor, Dr.
Rudolph Byrd.
Instructor, AMST 201: Introduction to American Studies, Graduate Institute of
Liberal Arts (Fall 2006).
This self-designed course explored the historical dynamics related to the
construction of American ethnic identities, particularly in regards to race, class,
gender, and religion, using both interdisciplinary research methods and texts.
Instructor, AMST 201: Introduction to American Studies, Graduate Institute of
Liberal Arts (Fall 2006).
This self-designed course explored the historical dynamics related to the
construction of American ethnic identities, particularly in regards to race, class,
gender, and religion, using both interdisciplinary research methods and texts.
Teaching Assistant, AAS 385/ENG 389: A Brighter Coming Day: The Tradition of
African American Women Writers, Departments of English and African American
Studies (Spring 2005)
Assisted in this upper-level seminar and writing course which covered the
emergence of the African American Women’s Literary Tradition within the genre
of the novel in the 20th century.
Processing Assistant, Alice Walker Papers in the Manuscripts, Archives, and Rare Books
Library (January 2008-present).
I currently assist in processing the writings series of the Alice Walker Papers,
which involves locating, chronologically organizing, and filing various drafts of
her writings, and using my training in the field of African American women’s
literature to situate her works in the manner most useful to future researchers.
Spelman College:
Assessor: Spel-Folio Freshman Portfolio (June 2008)—I served on a jury of assessors
who evaluated freshman writing portfolios submitted by each first year student at
Spelman College.
Facilitator: Personal Statement Workshop (February 2008)—On behalf of the Writing
Center, I facilitated a writing workshop for 20 students who were interesting in learning
effective techniques for preparing a personal statement for graduate school applications.
Instructor ENG 103: Freshman Composition: Writing as the Practice of Freedom,
Department of English (Fall 2007)—This self-designed course instructs freshman level
students to hone their writings skills, master the mechanics of college-level research
papers, and refine the ability to write effective thesis statements and make cogent
arguments within essays.
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Selected Conference Papers/Presentations:
“Mary Church Terrell as Intellectual Intermediary: Black Women’s Paradigmatic Use of
Mediation as a Strategy for Public Engagement,” Black Women’s Intellectual History
Conference, Columbia University, April 28-30, 2011.
“Blogging Feminism, Blogging Race: A Crunk Feminist Roundtable,” Discerning
Diverse Communication Symposium, University of Alabama, March 31, 2011.
“But the Women Keep the Tempo: Notes Toward a Feminist Articulation of Crunk.”
Southeastern Women’s Studies Association Conference, Georgia State University, March
25, 2011.
“Blogging Resistance: Crunk Feminist Praxis,” Black and Brown Feminisms in Hip Hop
Media Conference, University of Texas, San Antonio, March 4-5, 2011.
Act Like a Lady and Think!: Renegotiating Black Female Intimacy in the Age of
Singleness,” National Women’s Studies Association Annual Conference, Denver
Colorado, November 11-14, 2010.
“The Crunk Feminist Collective: A Next Generation Feminist Project,” National
Women’s Studies Association Annual Conference, Denver Colorado, November 11-14,
2010.
“Current Challenges, Creative Engagements: A Crunk Feminist Collective Roundtable,”
Recovering Black Women’s Voices and Lives Symposium, University of Alabama,
October 7, 2010.
“To Make the Protest Loud and Long: Ida B. Wells International Anti-Lynching
Campaign, 1893-1894,” International History of Lynching Conference, University of
Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany, June 6-8, 2010.
“Queer as (Black) Folk: Pauli Murray’s Proud Shoes and the Practice of Cultural
Memory in 20th Century African American Women’s Autobiography.” College Language
Association Annual Conference, Brooklyn, NY, April 2010.
“She’s A Movement By Herself: Black Female Independence Narratives and the Crunk
Feminist Turn in Hip Hop Feminism.” Southeastern Women’s Studies Association
Annual Conference, Columbia, SC, March 2010.
“Of Prophets and Patriarchs: Tyler Perry, T.D. Jakes and the Contemporary Assault on
Black Womanhood.” National Council of Black Studies Annual Conference, New
Orleans, LA March 2010.
“She’s A Movement By Herself: Black Sexual Politics and Independent Black
Womanhood in the Hip Hop Feminist Era.” Women’s History Month Annual
Conference, Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, NY, March 2010.
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“Stuck in Traffic: Why Intersectionality Doesn’t Move Us Like It Used To.” National
Women’s Studies Association Annual Conference, Atlanta, GA, November 2009.
“Alice Walker’s Garden: The Alice Walker Collection at Emory’s Manuscripts,
Archives, and Rare Book Library.” National Women’s Studies Association Annual
Conference, Atlanta, GA, November 2009.
“Louisiana’s Race Women: Cora Allen, the Calanthean Temple, and the Tradition of
Black Female Leadership in Shreveport, 1899-1935.” Louisiana Historical Association
Annual Meeting, Monroe, Louisiana, March 2009.
“Spying on the Promised Land: King, Obama, and American Body Politics.” 1968/2008:
An Event, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, November 2008.
“Pauli Murray’s Black Female Braintrust: Toward a Hermeneutic of Elasticity in Black
Power/Black Feminism Scholarship.” Black Power/Black Feminism Conference, Sarah
Lawrence College, Bronxville, NY, March 2008.
“A Dynamic Leader of Fraternal Women: Cora Allen, Clubwoman and Cultural
Architect, 1899-1935.” Annual Convention of the Association for the Study of African
American Life and History, Atlanta, GA, September 2006.
“Dislocating Christianity, Theorizing Black Feminisms: Can You be a Christian and a
Feminist, Too?”,National Black Graduate Student Association Annual Conference, Las
Vegas, NV, March 2006.
“Excavating the Love Below: The State As Patron of the Baby Mama Drama and Other
Ghetto Hustles” Presented at the Hip-Hop Symposium, Purdue University, West
Lafayette, Indiana, November 2005.
Invited Presentations:
Presenter, “Uniting the Scattered Self: Pauli Murray’s Archive and the Process of ReAssembly.” Dissertation Fellow Presentation. Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute,
Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, September 2008.
Presenter, “Wrecking Shop: Hip Hop Intellectualism and the Creation of Space within
the Academy,” “American Publics”—American Studies Undergraduate Course: Professor
Michael Moon, Emory University, November 2007.
Presenter, “Teaching Strategies in Introduction to American Studies,” “ILA
Pedagogy”—A Graduate Seminar for Graduate Instructors in the Institute of Liberal Arts:
Professor Kimberly Wallace-Sanders, Emory University, March 2007.
Speaker, “You Gotta Step Like This To Be a Souljah Girl: Women’s Activism from the
Antebellum Era to the Age of Hip Hop”—“African Diaspora and the World”—
Undergraduate Course, Spelman College, November 2007.
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Presenter, “Public Scholarship,”Institute of Liberal Arts Colloquium, April 2007.
Moderator, “The New Negro Shuffle: Are Shows Like ‘Flavor of Love’ and Dances like
the Chicken Noodle Soup Harmless Entertainment or Neo-Minstrelsy?”, Black History
Month Panel, Emory University, Black Graduate Student Association, February 2007.
Moderator, Ella Baker Debates in Black History, Politics, and Culture: “Hurricane
Katrina: Race vs. Class” Black History Month Program, Emory University, Black
Graduate Student Association, February 2006.
Service:
Speaker, “10 College Commandments,” Visiting High School Students, University of
Alabama, April 12, 2011.
Speaker, “Race in Real Time,” Capstone Creed Week Presentation, University of
Alabama, March 29, 2011.
Panelist, “Foster-ing Dialogue: Current Race Relations,” Women’s Studies Brownbag
Series, University of Alabama, February 2, 2011.
Panelist, “Why Is My Blackness Misunderstood?” NAACP, University of Alabama,
November 10, 2010.
Panelist, “Reclaiming the Black Community,” African American Graduate Student
Association, Black History Month Program, University of Alabama, February 2010.
Speaker, “Swagger: The Social Construction of Gender and Race in Popular Culture,” –
Delta Xi Phi Multicultural Sorority Program, University of Alabama, November 2009.
Moderator, “Race and Imagination,” A panel presented at the Race and Displacement
Symposium, University of Alabama, October 2009.
Mentor, Tide Together Mentoring Program, University of Alabama. Mentored Rashonda
Smith. 2010-2011.
Mentor, Todd C. Shaw E-Mentoring Program, National Black Graduate Student
Association. Mentor Maria Velasquez. 2010-Present.
Member, Website Committee, Department of Gender and Race Studies, University of
Alabama, 2011-Present.
Member, Textbook Ethics Committee, Department of Gender and Race Studies,
University of Alabama, 2010-present.
Member, Intercultural Campus Council, University of Alabama, 2010-Present.
Departmental Library Liaison, University of Alabama, 2010-Present.
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Reviewer, Signs Journal of Women in Culture and Society
Reviewer, MELUS Journal
Honors and Awards
Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow, 2011-2012.
National Society of Collegiate Scholars Inspiring Integrity Award—Top 10 Finalist 2011.
American Association of University Women Postdoctoral Fellowship 2011 (Declined).
Rutgers University Postdoctoral Fellowship, Department of English 2011 (Declined).
Research Grants Committee Fellowship, University of Alabama, 2010-2012
Brown Southern Studies Dissertation Fellowship, 2008-2009
Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute Dissertation Fellow, 2008
Emory University Minority Graduate Fellowship, 2003-2008
Professional/Community Activities:
• Founding Member. Crunk Feminist Collective—A Women of Color Feminist
Scholar-Activist Group. http://crunkfeministcollective.wordpress.com March
2010-present.
• Race Research Seminar, University of Alabama
• Popular Music Studies Consortium, University of Alabama, 2009-present
• Reviewer, Call and Response: The Scholarly Journal of the National Black
Graduate Student Association, 2009.
• Campus Organizer, Silent March for the Jena 6, Emory University, September
2007.
• Founding Editor. Call and Response: The Scholarly Journal of the National Black
Graduate Student Association. This is a web-based peer-reviewed journal that
features the work of members of the National Black Graduate Student
Association. Inaugural issue launched March 2007. www.nbgsa.org/journal.
• Managing Editor. HypheNation: An Interdisciplinary Journal for the Study of
Critical Moments Discourse. This is an original web-based, peer-reviewed,
interdisciplinary publication featuring graduate student work in the Graduate
Institute of Liberal Arts at Emory University. I am a founding member of the
Journal. www.emory.edu/hyphenation. 2005-2008.
• Member, Southern Studies Working Group, Emory University Institute of Liberal
Arts, 2007-present
• Member, Modern Language Association
• Member, National Women’s Studies Association
• Member, American Studies Association
• Member, College Language Association
• Member, National Council of Black Studies
• Member, Southeastern Women’s Studies Association