Toni Morrison Felowship Inauguration

Toni Morrison’s novels have reshaped American literature, exploring themes of identity, the human experience, and cultural understanding with remarkable depth. The Africa Institute is inaugurating its Toni Morrison Senior Fellowship in African Diaspora Literature and Cultural Studies with a two-day symposium celebrating her life and legacy through film screenings and discussions.

The Fellowship is aimed at supporting established scholars and independent thinkers who have made significant contributions to African and African Diaspora literature and cultural studies. The first recipient is Philathia Bolton, Associate Professor of English at the University of Akron, Ohio., and she’ll be participating in the discussions.

The full programme is here. It includes two feature-length films: The Foreigner’s Home (dir Rian Brown and Geoff Pingree, 2018) shows on 28 February and explores Toni Morrison’s artistic and intellectual vision through her 2006 exhibition at the Louvre to illuminate her insights on race, identity, and the transformative power of art. Day two has Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am (dir Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, 2019), an intimate exploration of Morrison’s life and work that features interviews with figures like Hilton Als, Angela Davis, and Oprah Winfrey. Screenings are followed by panel discussions.