Online-Talk with Dr. Cheryl Thompson, Toronto.
Being penalized for wearing their natural hair seems outlandish to many, especially here in Europe. However, it was only in 2020 that several states in the U.S. passed or proposed laws that ban policies that allow for such penalties against black, indigenous, and people of color. Many Black women to this day have to change their natural hair to fit into their place of work. But how did it come to this? What are the driving powers behind the beauty industry and what role does systemic racism play in all this?
This talk will explore the history of Black beauty culture in North America, with a specific emphasis on African American entrepreneurship and the business of Black beauty culture. It will begin with a brief history of transatlantic slavery and the forced migration of people of African descent to the Americas where Black beauty culture as we know it today was born through a combination of traditional African hairstyling techniques and Western capitalist notions of "self-made" success. The talk will also examine the politics of Black hair over the last century, such as aesthetics and fashion, hair discrimination, and the global hair weave industry.
Dr. Cheryl Thompson is a two-time author, professor, and public speaker. In 2021 she was named to the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists, which recognizes emerging intellectual leaders who have demonstrated a high level of achievement.
• In English
• Location: Online via YouTube @ www.dai-tuebingen.de/hair
• Admission free
