Associate professor of African American studies Benjamin Weber joins Chancellor Gary S. May on this month鈥檚 episode of Face to Face.
Weber鈥檚 work is centered around the history of social movements, the impacts of colonialism and racial inequality. He analyzes the past to inform solving today鈥檚 biggest problems, such as mass incarceration, which is the focus of his new book, American Purgatory: Prison Imperialism and the Rise of Mass Incarceration. The book traces the historical legacies of prisons and efforts to reform them.
鈥淗istorians and policymakers and Black studies professors are always trying to figure out: 鈥楬ow do we get one step ahead of these reforms that in name are trying to rehabilitate, but then produce both intended and unintended consequences?鈥欌 he said.
Missing link
A product of the Bay Area, Weber earned his Ph.D. and master鈥檚 degree in history from Harvard, yet he felt something was missing from his curricula. African American studies provided 鈥渢he missing framework鈥 for Weber to analyze history with a new lens, he said.
Hear Weber and May discuss the project, a pandemic-era writing group with prisoners that broke the added isolation of COVID-19 restrictions. They also discuss their hopes for the Austin and Arutha Goss Presidential Endowed Chair, the university鈥檚 first in the Department of African American and African Studies.
Stick around for playlist recommendations and a timely answer to a hypothetical dinner date scenario.
Media Resources
Jos茅 Vadi is a writer for Dateline 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis, and can be reached by email.