Sarah F. Derbew, "Untangling Blackness in Greek Antiquity," in conversation with Dr. Kelly Nguyen

Please join us on Thursday, January 19th for our winter quarter Faculty Research Fellows Chautauqua. This book salon event will feature fellow Sarah F. Derbew focusing on their book, Untangling Blackness in Greek Antiquity. The discussion will be moderated by Dr. Kelly Nguyen, IDEAL Provostial Fellow.

Sarah Derbew explores literary representations of black people in ancient Greece across genres such as ancient Greek tragedy, historiography, satire, and the novel. She also examines artistic renderings of black people in Greek antiquity—considering the objects themselves and the museums in which they live. Her interests extend all the way to the twenty-first century; She has written about the reception of Greco-Roman antiquity in Africa and the African diaspora.

She recently finished her first book, currently titled Untangling Blackness in Greek Antiquity (2022, Cambridge University Press). In the book, she traces the role of black people in ancient Greek literature and art while critiquing contemporary prejudicial thinking about Greek antiquity. She is currently co-editing the forthcoming volume Classics and Race: A Historical Reader with Dr. Daniel Orrells and Dr. Phiroze Vasunia.

We look forward to seeing you there!