Caree Banton, PhD
- An unapologetic Historian on the African Diaspora -
“Until lions have their historians, tales of the hunt shall always glorify the hunters”
– African Proverb
Caree Banton, PhD
- An unapologetic Historian on the African Diaspora -
“Until lions have their historians, tales of the hunt shall always glorify the hunters”
– African Proverb
Undisciplined is a podcast produced in collaboration with the African and African American Studies program with the University and KUAF Public Radio. Hosted by Dr. Caree Banton, this podcast will push the confines of your traditional academic disciplines and unveil how the objectives of African and African American studies can be found in the everyday if you just look.
Meet Dr. Banton
Caree Banton is an Associate Professor of African Diaspora History and the Director of the
African and African American Studies Program at the University of Arkansas.
Banton earned a BPA in Public Administration and BA in History from Grambling State University in 2005.
She received a MA in Development Studies from the University of Ghana in July 2012 and completed
her Ph.D. at Vanderbilt University in June 2013.
Her research focuses on movements towards freedom, particularly around abolition, emancipation,
and colonization.
Much of her work also explores ideas of citizenship, nationhood, and race in the 19th century.
Her research has been supported by a number of fellowships, including the Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship,
the Andrew M. Mellon Foundation Fellowship, the Lapidus Center Fellowship at the Schomburg Center,
and the Nancy Weiss Malkiel Fellowship.
More Auspicious Shores
by Caree A. Banton
More Auspicious Shores chronicles the migration of Afro-Barbadians to Liberia. In 1865, 346 Afro-Barbadians fled a failed post-emancipation Caribbean for the independent black republic of Liberia. They saw Liberia as a means of achieving their post-emancipation goals and promoting a pan-Africanist agenda while simultaneously fulfilling their 'civilizing' and 'Christianizing' duties. Through a close examination of the Afro-Barbadians, Caree A. Banton provides a transatlantic approach to understanding the political and sociocultural consequences of their migration and settlement in Africa. Banton reveals how, as former British subjects, Afro-Barbadians navigated an inherent tension between ideas of pan-Africanism and colonial superiority. Upon their arrival in Liberia, an English imperial identity distinguished the Barbadians from African Americans and secured them privileges in the Republic's hierarchy above the other group. By fracturing assumptions of a homogeneous black identity, Banton ultimately demonstrates how Afro-Barbadian settlement in Liberia influenced ideas of blackness in the Atlantic World.
"Caree A. Banton's book fills a significant gap in the story of Liberia's creation and its place in the larger Afro-Atlantic world. She skillfully renders the complex identities that Barbadians crafted at home and in Africa, while being mindful of their often conflicted notions of race, civilization, and empire."
Jones Distinguished Professor,
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Upcoming Events
These live Undisciplined episodes will provide a platform for the celebration of African-American successes and a place for honest discussion about the obstacles still in front of African-Americans in the fight for social justice in business, religion, the media, politics and much more.
Religion and Liberation
RSVP on Facebook
When: Tuesday, February 15th 5-7 p.m.
Where: St. James Baptist Church, Fayetteville
Who: Pastor Curtiss Smith, Pastor of St. James Baptist Church
Lowell Taylor, Theology and Action project, raising reparations
Dustin McGowan, Pastor
What’s Happening in Black Ft. Smith?
When: Friday, February 18th, 5-7 p.m.
Where: Akib Art Gallery, Fort Smith
Who: John Blue, Executive Director of Diversity and Inclusion at UA Fort Smith
Jay Richardson, State Rep, Native of FS
Chris Chaney, Barbershop owner
Talicia Richardson, school board at large members, 646 free concert at the amphitheater for Juneteenth
Sherry Toliver, author of history of Fort Smith
The Fight for Justice and Equity in NWA
When: February 25th 5-7 p.m.
Where: The Jones Center, Springdale
Who: Monique Jones, St. James Food Pantry
Jared Carter, HandsUpNWA
Christina Williams, Founder & Executive Director, Innovative Poverty Solutions | Circles NWA
Sarah Moore, Arkansas Justice Reform