Wednesday, Sept. 2, the College of William and Mary celebrated the launch of two books by faculty members published in the University of Michigan Press’ African Perspectives series.
R. Benedito Ferrão, a professor of English and Asian & Pacific Islander American studies, wrote the first work. Senior Associate Dean for Academic Culture & Faculty Development and Associate Professor of English and Film & Media Studies Wanjirũ Mbure wrote the other. The books explored topics such as culture, identity, gender and connections to Africa in both geographic and cultural senses.
The celebration was sponsored by William and Mary Libraries, the Reves Center for International Studies, the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Innovation Fund.
The authors spoke of their research while answering questions in a moderated conversation and audience Q&A portion.
Dean of Arts & Sciences and Chancellor Professor of English Suzanne Raitt provided opening remarks. She explained the reasoning behind pairing both of the books into a joint launch.
“[The books] exemplify the kind of innovative, interdisciplinary scholarship that enriches our understanding of the world and reflects the intellectual strength of William and Mary’s faculty in English and everywhere else,” she said.
After Raitt’s remarks, Mbure presented her book, titled “Out for Glamour in Africa: A History of Black Urban Femininities in Drum Magazine.” The literary work looks into the connections between African magazines and the lives of the women they feature.
“The book is based on DRUM magazine, which originated in South Africa in 1951 but gained pan-African prominence over the following 20 years,” she said. “I was inspired to uncover the untold stories of the women of DRUM and the characters and places that were part of its success.”
While researching, Mbure said she found that archival materials were not always available or sufficient for her work. She said she hopes that the stories of these influential figures will not fade into obscurity and that readers will be inspired to take advantage of publicly accessible resources.
“I hope that after reading my book, general readers, students and scholars will appreciate the richness of these sources and be inspired to engage with them,” Mbure said.
Mbure added that she managed to piece together stories of political oppression, urbanization and female success throughout Africa and spanning decades through her research.
Mbure said she plans to continue researching similar materials before drafting her next book.
The conversation then shifted to Ferrão, who gave a rundown of his book, titled “Across Continents: Writing Goans, Making Worlds.”
In the book, Ferrão said he interpreted fictional narratives surrounding Goa, a state on the southwestern coast of India, and their complex relationship with colonization and identity.
“I write dually about the Goan presence in Africa and the African presence in Goa,” Ferrão said. “What did it mean to leave a familiar land behind, remake home in a new continent and then be exiled to yet another foreign place?”
Ferrão said his book connects across various geographical contexts while also highlighting the nuances of the Goan identity, which has been shaped both by Portuguese colonization and Indian integration.
Ferrão said he wishes to emphasize how various perspectives can blend and shift through generations.
“Just because how a land identifies may change does not mean that those who exist in it are going to give up prior, and much older, ways of seeing themselves,” he said.
Ferrão also said he plans to continue researching Portuguese postcolonialism and visual culture.
The next section of the event was a conversation moderated by Pamila Gupta, a research professor at the University of the Free State in South Africa. Gupta explained how she connected Mbure and Ferrão for the joint book launch.
“I realized there were these two beautiful books that were coming out by two professors at William and Mary around the same time,” Gupta said. “So I proposed the idea to our other series editors.”
After the event, Gupta said she hoped audience members found the discussion valuable.
“In this increasingly digital world, it’s important to go to live events and actually engage with people and hear them speak,” Gupta said.
