Dr. Oneka LaBennett is the author of G lobal Guyana: Shaping Race\, Gender\, and Environment in the Caribbean and Beyond. \;November 25th's Cultural Conversation will feature Dr. La Bennett discussing her most recent book\, published by New York Univer sity Press (2024).
\nPreviously ranked among the hemisphere&rsquo\;s poorest countries\, Guyana is becoming a global leader in per capita oil production\, a shift which promises to profoundly transform the nation. Th is sea change presents a unique opportunity to dissect both the environmen tal impacts of modern-world resource extraction and the obscured yet damag ing ways in which intersectional race and gender formations circumscribe C aribbean women&rsquo\;s lives. Drawing from archival research and oral his tory\, and examining mass-mediated flashpoints across the African and Indi an diasporas&mdash\;including Rihanna&rsquo\;s sonic routes\, ethnic confl ict reportage\, HBO&rsquo\;s \;Lovecraft Country\, and Netflix&rsquo\; s \;Indian Matchmaking&mdash\;Global Guyana \;repositions this mar ginalized nation as a nexus of social and economic activity which drives p opular culture and ideas about sexuality while reshaping the geopolitical and literal topography of the Caribbean region. \;Global Guyana \; uncovers how ecological erosion and gendered violence are entrenched in ex tractive industries emanating from this often-effaced but pivotal country. Sounding the alarm on the portentous repercussions that ambitious develop ment spells out for the nation&rsquo\;s people and its geographical terrai n\, LaBennett issues a warning for all of us about the looming threat of g lobal environmental calamity.
\nDr. La Bennett is an Associate Profe ssor of American Studies and Ethnicity and Gender and Sexuality Studies at the University of Southern California. She&rsquo\;s the author of \;S he&rsquo\;s Mad Real: Popular Culture and West Indian Girls in Brooklyn&nb sp\;and co-editor of \;Racial Formation in the Twenty-First Century.\n
The Digital Library of the Caribbean (dLOC)\, Florida International University (FIU)\, and the African American Research Library and Cultural Center (AARLCC) have collaborated to feature a Caribbean Studies conversa tion series during 2024. The past featured author included Dr. Danielle Bo az\, author of Voodoo: The History of a Racial Slur\, \;a recently rel eased book in Caribbean Studies. \; The books are available in the AAR LCC\, Miami Dade Public Library\, and Florida International University lib rary collections.
\n\n\nAbout the
African American Research Library and Cultural Center \;
The \;Broward County African American Research Library and Cultural C
enter \;(AARLCC) \;is located in the Sistrunk community\, one of t
he oldest historically Black communities named for one of Fort Lauderdale&
rsquo\;s first Black physicians. Opening to the public on October 26\, 200
2\, AARLCC became the third public library of its kind in the United State
s dedicated to the study of Black history and culture. The 60\,000 square-
foot Center serves as a repository of materials related to the local\, nat
ional\, and international voices of the African diaspora with more than 85
\,000 books\, manuscripts\, artifacts\, framed art\, print\, photography\,
audiovisual\, and documents held in our Adult Services Section and Specia
l Collections. The Youth Services Section features a special collection of
Coretta Scott King Award books and the \;Ashley Bryan Art Collection&
nbsp\;from illustrators of African Descent. AARLCC also features a 5\,000
sq. ft. museum\, a 300-seat state-of-the-art theatre\, and a Computer Trai
ning Center.