ReVisions: Celebrating 80 Years of American Studies
ReVisions: Celebrating 80 Years of American Studies
This symposium is free and open to the public (with the exception of the author breakout sessions on December 11th, which are only open to UMD graduate students). All events will take place at Tawes Hall , 7751 Alumni Drive, College Park, MD 20742.
Day 1 : Thursday December 11th
5:00 PM - First Book Forum: Debut Books by Alumni Authors all published in 2025 | Room 2115, Tawes Hall
Dr. Bimbola Akinbola (AMST PhD 2018), Assistant Professor of Performance Studies at Northwestern University and author of Transatlantic Disbelonging: Unruliness, Pleasure, and Play in Nigerian Diasporic Women’s Art (Duke University Press, 2025).
6:15 PM: First Book Breakout Sessions Led by authors, open to grad students
Location: Various rooms throughout Tawes Hall
- TWS 1221 - Dr. Gabriel Peoples
- TWS 2123 - Dr. Bimbola Akinbola
- TWS 0201 - Dr. Wendy Thomson
- TWS 1321 - Dr. Michael Casiano
- TWS 1123 - Dr. Jason Ezell
7:15 PM: Dinner Reception | Room 2115, Tawes Hall
Day 2 : Friday December 12th
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM - Life After Earning a B.A. in American Studies: Alumni Roundtable | Location: Ulrich Recital Hall (Auditorium), Tawes Hall
- Kelechi Agbakwuru (AMST B.A. 2011) Counsel, Fair Housing & Community Development Project, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
- José Centeno-Meléndez (AMST B.A. and US Latino/a Studies Minor 2012) Oral Historian, Center for Restorative History & Archives Center, Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History
- Renee Davidson (AMST B.A. 2009) Vice President of Communications, Brady: United Against Gun Violence
Moderated by Asim Ali, Senior Lecturer and Director of Undergraduate Studies
12:00 PM - Lunch Reception | Room 2115, Tawes Hall
All Afternoon Roundtables will be held in Ulrich Hall (Auditorium) in Tawes Hall
1:00 PM - Welcome Remarks by Dean Stephanie Shonekan, ARHU, Dr. Christina B Hanhardt, Chair AMST, and Dr. La Marr Jurelle Bruce, AMST
1:30 PM - Charm City Meets the Enchanted Woods: Race, Sex, Power & Placemaking
Michael Casiano, Jason Ezell | Discussant: Milla Wu, AMST
3:00 PM - The Poetry of Space and the Space of Poetry: How Poets Write Home
Wendy Thompson | Discussant: Abdul Ali, AMST
4:00PM - Black Beyond Control: Unruly Art, Media & Play
Bimbola Akinbola, Gabriel Peoples | Discussant: Hannah Brancato, AMST
5:30 PM - RECALL.REJOICE.RENEW. | Room 2115, Tawes Hall
Open Forum + Farewell Dinner + Toast
You are welcome to RSVP at go.umd.edu/AMST80 , or drop in and join at any time throughout the symposium!
image/png642506115811
Special Thanks to Our UMD Co-Sponsors
Cost
Free and Open to the Public
Event Dates
-
Thursday, Dec 11, 2025 5:00 pm12/11/25 17:00:00 12/11/25 19:15:00 America/New_York ReVisions: Celebrating 80 Years of American StudiesThis year marks the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Department of American Studies at UMD—one of the oldest and most eminent American Studies departments worldwide. To celebrate and commemorate this milestone, we are convening a two-day symposium called ReVisions: 80 Years of American Studies at the University of Maryland on December 11 – 12, 2025.We are especially excited to welcome back extraordinary guests, including five alumni of our doctoral program, each of whom published a debut book in 2025 and will host a book forum, and captivating alumni from our BA program who will sit on a Friday morning panel discussion called Life After Earning a B.A. in American Studies. Panelists will reminisce about their time as undergraduates in AMST at UMD and discuss how it has informed and influenced their work and life beyond graduation. See details below.
This symposium is free and open to the public (with the exception of the author breakout sessions on December 11th, which are only open to UMD graduate students). All events will take place at Tawes Hall , 7751 Alumni Drive, College Park, MD 20742.
Day 1 : Thursday December 11th
5:00 PM - First Book Forum: Debut Books by Alumni Authors all published in 2025 | Room 2115, Tawes Hall
Dr. Bimbola Akinbola (AMST PhD 2018), Assistant Professor of Performance Studies at Northwestern University and author of Transatlantic Disbelonging: Unruliness, Pleasure, and Play in Nigerian Diasporic Women’s Art (Duke University Press, 2025).
Dr. Michael Casiano (AMST PhD 2018 and BA in AMST in 2012), Assistant Professor of American Studies at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and author of Let Us Alone: The Origins of Baltimore's Police State (University of Illinois Press, 2025).
Dr. Jason Ezell (AMST PhD 2017), Head of Research and Learning Services at Cornell University and author of For a Spell: Sissie Collectivism and Radical Witchery in the Southeast (University of North Carolina Press, 2025).
Dr. Gabriel Peoples (AMST PhD 2016), Assistant Professor of Gender Studies at Indiana University Bloomington and author of Goin' Viral: Uncontrollable Black Performance (University of Illinois Press, 2025).
Dr. Wendy M. Thompson (AMST PhD 2009), Associate Professor of African American Studies at San Jose State University and author of Black California Gold (Rutgers/Bucknell University Press, 2025).6:15 PM: First Book Breakout Sessions Led by authors, open to grad students
Location: Various rooms throughout Tawes Hall
- TWS 1221 - Dr. Gabriel Peoples
- TWS 2123 - Dr. Bimbola Akinbola
- TWS 0201 - Dr. Wendy Thomson
- TWS 1321 - Dr. Michael Casiano
- TWS 1123 - Dr. Jason Ezell
7:15 PM: Dinner Reception | Room 2115, Tawes Hall
Day 2 : Friday December 12th
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM - Life After Earning a B.A. in American Studies: Alumni Roundtable | Location: Ulrich Recital Hall (Auditorium), Tawes Hall
- Kelechi Agbakwuru (AMST B.A. 2011) Counsel, Fair Housing & Community Development Project, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
- José Centeno-Meléndez (AMST B.A. and US Latino/a Studies Minor 2012) Oral Historian, Center for Restorative History & Archives Center, Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History
- Renee Davidson (AMST B.A. 2009) Vice President of Communications, Brady: United Against Gun Violence
Moderated by Asim Ali, Senior Lecturer and Director of Undergraduate Studies
12:00 PM - Lunch Reception | Room 2115, Tawes Hall
All Afternoon Roundtables will be held in Ulrich Hall (Auditorium) in Tawes Hall
1:00 PM - Welcome Remarks by Dean Stephanie Shonekan, ARHU, Dr. Christina B Hanhardt, Chair AMST, and Dr. La Marr Jurelle Bruce, AMST
1:30 PM - Charm City Meets the Enchanted Woods: Race, Sex, Power & Placemaking
Michael Casiano, Jason Ezell | Discussant: Milla Wu, AMST
3:00 PM - The Poetry of Space and the Space of Poetry: How Poets Write Home
Wendy Thompson | Discussant: Abdul Ali, AMST
4:00PM - Black Beyond Control: Unruly Art, Media & Play
Bimbola Akinbola, Gabriel Peoples | Discussant: Hannah Brancato, AMST
5:30 PM - RECALL.REJOICE.RENEW. | Room 2115, Tawes Hall
Open Forum + Farewell Dinner + Toast
You are welcome to RSVP at go.umd.edu/AMST80 , or drop in and join at any time throughout the symposium!Revisions First Book Forum PromoAmerican Studies
image/png642506115811
Special Thanks to Our UMD Co-Sponsors
Tawes Hall false -
Friday, Dec 12, 2025 10:30 am12/12/25 10:30:00 12/12/25 17:30:00 America/New_York ReVisions: Celebrating 80 Years of American StudiesThis year marks the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Department of American Studies at UMD—one of the oldest and most eminent American Studies departments worldwide. To celebrate and commemorate this milestone, we are convening a two-day symposium called ReVisions: 80 Years of American Studies at the University of Maryland on December 11 – 12, 2025.We are especially excited to welcome back extraordinary guests, including five alumni of our doctoral program, each of whom published a debut book in 2025 and will host a book forum, and captivating alumni from our BA program who will sit on a Friday morning panel discussion called Life After Earning a B.A. in American Studies. Panelists will reminisce about their time as undergraduates in AMST at UMD and discuss how it has informed and influenced their work and life beyond graduation. See details below.
This symposium is free and open to the public (with the exception of the author breakout sessions on December 11th, which are only open to UMD graduate students). All events will take place at Tawes Hall , 7751 Alumni Drive, College Park, MD 20742.
Day 1 : Thursday December 11th
5:00 PM - First Book Forum: Debut Books by Alumni Authors all published in 2025 | Room 2115, Tawes Hall
Dr. Bimbola Akinbola (AMST PhD 2018), Assistant Professor of Performance Studies at Northwestern University and author of Transatlantic Disbelonging: Unruliness, Pleasure, and Play in Nigerian Diasporic Women’s Art (Duke University Press, 2025).
Dr. Michael Casiano (AMST PhD 2018 and BA in AMST in 2012), Assistant Professor of American Studies at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and author of Let Us Alone: The Origins of Baltimore's Police State (University of Illinois Press, 2025).
Dr. Jason Ezell (AMST PhD 2017), Head of Research and Learning Services at Cornell University and author of For a Spell: Sissie Collectivism and Radical Witchery in the Southeast (University of North Carolina Press, 2025).
Dr. Gabriel Peoples (AMST PhD 2016), Assistant Professor of Gender Studies at Indiana University Bloomington and author of Goin' Viral: Uncontrollable Black Performance (University of Illinois Press, 2025).
Dr. Wendy M. Thompson (AMST PhD 2009), Associate Professor of African American Studies at San Jose State University and author of Black California Gold (Rutgers/Bucknell University Press, 2025).6:15 PM: First Book Breakout Sessions Led by authors, open to grad students
Location: Various rooms throughout Tawes Hall
- TWS 1221 - Dr. Gabriel Peoples
- TWS 2123 - Dr. Bimbola Akinbola
- TWS 0201 - Dr. Wendy Thomson
- TWS 1321 - Dr. Michael Casiano
- TWS 1123 - Dr. Jason Ezell
7:15 PM: Dinner Reception | Room 2115, Tawes Hall
Day 2 : Friday December 12th
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM - Life After Earning a B.A. in American Studies: Alumni Roundtable | Location: Ulrich Recital Hall (Auditorium), Tawes Hall
- Kelechi Agbakwuru (AMST B.A. 2011) Counsel, Fair Housing & Community Development Project, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
- José Centeno-Meléndez (AMST B.A. and US Latino/a Studies Minor 2012) Oral Historian, Center for Restorative History & Archives Center, Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History
- Renee Davidson (AMST B.A. 2009) Vice President of Communications, Brady: United Against Gun Violence
Moderated by Asim Ali, Senior Lecturer and Director of Undergraduate Studies
12:00 PM - Lunch Reception | Room 2115, Tawes Hall
All Afternoon Roundtables will be held in Ulrich Hall (Auditorium) in Tawes Hall
1:00 PM - Welcome Remarks by Dean Stephanie Shonekan, ARHU, Dr. Christina B Hanhardt, Chair AMST, and Dr. La Marr Jurelle Bruce, AMST
1:30 PM - Charm City Meets the Enchanted Woods: Race, Sex, Power & Placemaking
Michael Casiano, Jason Ezell | Discussant: Milla Wu, AMST
3:00 PM - The Poetry of Space and the Space of Poetry: How Poets Write Home
Wendy Thompson | Discussant: Abdul Ali, AMST
4:00PM - Black Beyond Control: Unruly Art, Media & Play
Bimbola Akinbola, Gabriel Peoples | Discussant: Hannah Brancato, AMST
5:30 PM - RECALL.REJOICE.RENEW. | Room 2115, Tawes Hall
Open Forum + Farewell Dinner + Toast
You are welcome to RSVP at go.umd.edu/AMST80 , or drop in and join at any time throughout the symposium!Revisions First Book Forum PromoAmerican Studies
image/png642506115811
Special Thanks to Our UMD Co-Sponsors
Tawes Hall false