Spring 2023: James Baldwin and Global Inequality

Spring 2023: James Baldwin and Global Inequality

Throughout the spring semester, GIRI students interrogated the life and work of James Baldwin as an entry point into deeper understanding of global inequality. Baldwin (1924 – 1987) was an essayist, novelist, playwright, and activist in the Civil Rights Movement in the United States as well as liberation movements around the world. In addition to readings about Baldwin, the context of global inequality during his productive years, and the ongoing legacy of his work in humanities and social science inequality research, the course will draw upon a recent publication from Jamie McGhee and Adam Hollowell, You Mean It or You Don’t: James Baldwin’s Radical Challenge (Broadleaf Books, 2022).

Guest instructors included scholars from institutions across the country who specialize in varying dimensions of inequality research.

More information about You Mean it or You Don’t can be found by clicking here.

Capstone Event

On April 19th, we welcomed Dr. Michele Elam of Stanford University as the keynote speaker for our Spring 2023 GIRI Capstone Event. Earlier in the day, students gathered for a formal poster session to present on their research projects. In the evening, students were joined by the greater Duke/Durham community for a featured student presentation by seniors Kyra Varley and Colin Birkenstock on “Discrepancies across Mechanisms of Discrimination in AI Models.” Dr. Elam led a discussion along a similar theme of what James Baldwin’s impressions of AI would be, followed by a conversation with GIRI Professor and Inequality Studies Minor Director Dr. Adam Hollowell, and Cook Center Director Dr. William Darity. View below photos to learn more, or visit our Flickr to view the whole gallery.