Afrofuturism, Special Issue of Studies in American Culture
As an aesthetic and cultural movement, Afrofuturism began with Mark Derry’s 1993 essay, “Black to the Future.” Derry poses a difficult question: “Can a community whose past has been deliberately rubbed out, and whose energies have subsequently been consumed by the search for legible traces of its history, imagine possible futures?” The clear answer is a resounding, “YES!” Not only can Black folk imagine possible futures, but they can also write, paint, and sculpt them into being. In this special issue we invite contributors to explore what these possible futures look like. How do Afrofuturist artists reimagine a world where Black folks can be/are free? What is the cost of such freedom?