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Black Activist Media Producers of Austin

Thu, May 25, 19:30 to 21:30, Hilton San Diego Bayfront, Floor: 2, Indigo Ballroom B

Abstract

The latest epoch of Black activism in the United States has emerged in response to the brutal treatment of Black citizens at the hands of law enforcement. Digital production software and networks have allowed Black citizen media producers to circumvent traditional authorities of knowledge production such as news media and have also engendered pathways to develop new and counter knowledge about racial and social inequality. This three part immersive study will examine the lives and work of ten Black activist media makers in Austin, Texas and develops thick description through ethnography, critical discourse analysis and methods of visual anthropology. Austin provides a unique context for this study given its historical segregation of Black residents and recent gentrification during its rise as a cultural and economic juggernaut. This study makes theoretical contributions to critical race theory, Couldry’s (2010) concept of voice along with developing nuanced ideas about citizenship, journalism and design.

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