Betraying the Spectacle

"Betraying the Spectacle" is a visual response to mass media constructions of the black body as one of turmoil or commodity. Fragments of everyday life will be captured through combining photography with personal narratives, creating a visual exhibit highlighting the intersections of blackness, spirituality and creative resistance in the lives of Black Muslim women living and working in the American South.

Rashida James-Saadiya is a visual artist, writer, and cultural educator invested in transforming social perceptions through creative literature. Her work explores migration, identity, and the transmission of spirituality through poetry and song amongst Muslim women in West Africa and the American South. Also, she is an Arts & Culture editor for Sapelo Square a digital hub documenting the experience and legacy of Black Muslims in America and the Creative Director of Crossing Limits, a multi-faith non-profit organization which utilizes poetry as an instrument for social change, highlighting the intersections of faith and social injustice.

This presentation is sponsored by the John Hope Franklin Center, the Duke Islamic Studies Center, and the Duke University Center for International and Global Studies. A light lunch will be served. Parking is available in nearby Trent Rd. and Erwin Rd. parking decks. The series provides 1-hour parking vouchers to guests.