eInside Events

Kent State’s Pan-African Studies Department Presents Historian and NYU Professor Dr. Michael Gomez

Internationally known scholar Dr. Michael
A. Gomez to visit Kent State Wednesday,
Sept. 14.

The Department of Pan-African Studies at Kent State University welcomes nationally and internationally known scholar Dr. Michael A. Gomez to campus on Wednesday, Sept. 14. His lecture, titled “Was Culture a Location of Resistance in the Americas? Examining the African Experience,” takes place in Oscar Ritchie Hall at 7 p.m. preceded by a 6 p.m. reception in front of the hall’s first-floor gallery. The reception and lecture are free and open to the public.

As a historian, Gomez will examine and address the debate regarding culture as a site of resistance among slaves of African descent in the Americas. “Some scholars argue that culture was not a direct site of resistance but rather an accidental, rapidly and consistently changing sphere of action and negotiation, while others argue that, in fact, culture was a constraint that had to be overcome in developing new African-American identities, whether in North or South America,” explains Wendy Wilson-Fall, chair and associate professor in Pan-African Studies at Kent State.

Gomez is currently professor of history and Middle Eastern and Islamic studies at New York University, having served as the director of the Association for the Study of the Worldwide African Diaspora (ASWAD) from its inception in 2000 to 2007. He also has served as chair of the history departments at both NYU and Spelman College and served as president of UNESCO’s (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Culture Organization) International Scientific Committee for the Slave Route Project from 2009 to 2011.

His first book, Pragmatism in the Age of Jihad: The Precolonial State of Bundu (Cambridge University Press, 1992), examines a Muslim polity in what is now eastern Senegal. The next publication, Exchanging Our Country Marks: The Transformation of African Identities in the Colonial and Antebellum South (University of North Carolina Press, 1998), is concerned with questions of culture and race as they were informed by the African presence and experience. Reversing Sail: A History of the African Diaspora (Cambridge University Press, 2005) is primarily aimed at an undergraduate audience and is more fully involved with the idea of an African diaspora, as is Diasporic Africa: A Reader (New York University Press, 2006), an edited volume that spans time and space in investigating a variety of themes and issues. Black Crescent: African Muslims in the Americas (Cambridge University Press, 2005, Black Caucus of the American Library Association 2006 Literary Awards Winner for Nonfiction Category), continues with the study of the African diaspora by looking at the ways in which African Muslims negotiated their bondage and freedom throughout the Americas, but in ways that allowed for significant integration of Islamic African cultures into the larger community.

Gomez is currently working on a history of medieval West Africa and is involved with a manuscript collection project underway in Mali.

Gomez’s appearance at Kent State is presented by the Department of Pan-African Studies and is funded by a grant from the Ohio Humanities Council. For more information on Kent State’s Department of Pan-African Studies, call 330-672-2300 or visit www.kent.edu/CAS/PAS.

Therely Bare at the Kent State University School of Art Gallery

The Kent State University School of Art Galleries are pleased to announce the new exhibit, Therely Bare, on display now through Sept. 30. An opening reception will be held on Sept. 8, from 5 to 7 p.m.

Therely Bare, an exhibition of non-objective art curated by John Tallman and Ron Buffington, features the work of 16 artists from countries around the world, including the United States, Paris, Belgium, New Zealand and the Netherlands.

Working in a style sometimes called reductive, these artists share a subversive approach to the traditions of painting. The exhibition title is wordplay, an inversion of "barely there." It also hints at the curatorial premises of the exhibition. Although the physical presence of the work in the exhibition is not in question, the conceptual motives behind the work are more difficult to determine. In this sense, the work is hiding in plain sight. Therely Bare challenges typical modes of viewing and raises questions about perception itself.

The curators are both professors at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga.

The Kent State University School of Art’s School of Art Gallery is located on the second floor of the School of Art building. Gallery hours are Tuesday - Friday 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.

For additional information regarding the School of Art Gallery or scheduled exhibitions, please visit http://galleries.kent.edu or call 330-672-7853.

“Let’s Take a Ride/Walk” Event Spotlights Kent Developments and Green Living

Students, faculty and staff are invited to
participate in the “Let’s Take A Ride/Walk”
event on Thursday, Sept. 8.

Students, faculty and staff are invited to participate in the “Let’s Take A Ride/Walk” event on Thursday, Sept. 8, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Ride or walk from the Kent Student Center to the Kent Stage for a free lunch sponsored by Kent Office Supply’s Miracle on Main Street (M.O.M.S.) and to learn more about recent downtown development including new shops coming to Acorn Alley II. Dr. GreenBee will discuss “A Day in the Life of a Green College Student” and ideas for sustainable living. Students will receive 500 FLASHperks points for attending.

Other partners, including Main Street Kent, TransPORTAGE and OneKent, are assisting this event that supports community connectivity, sustainability and local businesses.

Additional FlashFleet bikes will be available on Sept. 8 at the Student Center. Remember, FlashFleet is free to all faculty, staff and students. Or, bring your own bike!

For more information, contact Marty Mundy at 330-672-9618 or mmundy2@kent.edu.

Kent State Football Home Opener on Sept. 10 Salutes Heroes and Champions

Kent State football team slated against Louisiana for its
Sept. 10 home opener.

On the heels of their trip to No. 2 Alabama on Sept. 3, the Kent State football team opens its six-game 2011 home slate against Louisiana this Saturday, Sept. 10 at 7 p.m. in Dix Stadium.

The game will serve as both Heroes’ and Champions Night. The Kent State Department of Athletics will honor local military personnel and first responders, in addition to recognizing all the Flashes’ championship teams and individuals from the 2010-11 season.

Under the direction of first-year head coach Darrell Hazell, the Golden Flashes return 14 starters and 46 letterwinners. Among those players are 2010 Mid-American Conference Defensive Player and Freshman of the Year Roosevelt Nix. Fellow All-MAC returnees Chris Anzevino, Tyshon Goode, Sam Kirkland, Matt Rinehart and Brian Winters also join Nix in the hunt for a MAC championship.

Tailgate lots on the east and west sides of Dix Stadium open three hours prior to each game and the Fan Experience in the Field House starts two-and-a-half hours before kickoff.

With season tickets starting as low as $30, you won’t find a better deal anywhere in the country on Division I football. In addition, Kent State faculty and staff receive additional discounts simply by showing their university ID when purchasing season tickets. Call 330-672-2244 for more information or stop by the Athletic Ticket Office in the M.A.C. Center.