CRITICAL APPROACHES TO BLACK MEDIA CULTURE 2026 CONFERENCE

The 2nd Critical Approaches to Black Media Culture (CABMC) Conference builds on the success of the 2024 inaugural event, which featured six keynote speakers and welcomed nearly 100 scholars from across the US and abroad. Centered on the theme “Representation & Resonance,” the 2026 conference examines how black media scholars move beyond reductive good/bad or positive/negative binaries of representation to emphasize resonance and account for the complex, negotiated ways audiences engage with media. This framework encourages a holistic understanding of Black media culture that attends to the dynamic relationships among producers, texts, and audiences, underscoring the enduring social, political, and cultural significance of media images.

The conference will include over 30 panels and bring together 150 presenters and attendees, highlighting emerging and established scholarship in Black media studies. Featured keynote speakers include Dr. Tiffany Barber (UCLA), co-organized with and sponsored by the Black Studies Book Club; Dr. Racquel Gates (Columbia University); Zaire Lanier (Compulsion Games), coordinated with The Bobby Yan Lecture; and Dr. Kristen Warner (Cornell University). The conference is co-organized by Jerome Dent, Assistant Professor of Communication and Africana Studies; Peter C. Kunze, Assistant Professor of Communication; and Ava L’Herisse, Operations Manager for the Department of Communication.

CABMC is sponsored by the Maurice L. Silverstein Cinema Studies Lectureship Fund, the Department of Communication, the School of Liberal Arts, The Radio and Television Fund, the Department of Africana Studies, and the Department of Art History.