The Black Studies Podcast

Ashley Newby and John E. Drabinski

Black Studies

Education

Activism

African American Studies

Community Engagement

Social Justice

African American History

Black Feminism

Africana Studies

Diaspora

Black History

Civil Rights Movement

Gender Studies

Black Lives Matter

Cultural Studies

Afrofuturism

African American Literature

Literature

Slavery

Higher Education

The Black Studies Podcast is a Mellon grant sponsored series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral students, and everyone in between, culture workers, and political organizers - in order to explore the cultural and political meaning of Black Studies as an area of inquiry... more

97 ratings

Publishes	Daily	Episodes	297	Founded	2 years ago
Number of Listeners		Categories	EducationBooksArts

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Guests Host Reviews Talking Points

Latest Episodes

Courtney Patterson-Faye - Department of Sociology, Wesleyan University

This is John Drabinski and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, graduate stude... more

3 Aug 2026 • 1 hr 7 min

Nikki L. Brown - Departments of History and of African American and Africana Studies, University of Kentucky

This is Ashley Newby and you’re listening to The Black Studies podcast, a series of conversations examining the history of the field. Our conversations engage with a wide range of activists and scholars - senior figures in the field, late doctoral st... more

31 Jul 2026 • 57 min

Karen Kossie-Chernyshev - Department of History, Texas Southern University

29 Jul 2026 • 1 hr 2 min

Leigh Raiford - Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies, University of California, Berkeley

27 Jul 2026 • 1 hr 6 min • Most popular

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Recent Guests

Leigh Raiford

Professor, Department of African American Studies, University of California, Berkeley

University of California, Berkeley

Episode: Leigh Raiford - Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies, University of California, Berkeley

Mark B. Campbell

DJ, scholar, and curator

University of Toronto, Scarborough

Episode: Mark Campbell - Department of Arts, Culture, and Media, University of Toronto, Scarborough

Nicosia Shakes

Teaches in the Department of History and Critical Race and Ethnic Studies at UC Merced

University of California, Merced

Episode: Nicosia Shakes - Department of History and Critical Race and Ethnic Studies, University of California, Merced

Nadia Alahmed

Professor in the Department of Africana Studies at Dickinson College

Dickinson College

Episode: Nadia Alahmed - Department of Africana Studies, Dickinson University

AD Carson

Associate Professor of Hip Hop in the Global South, University of Virginia

University of Virginia

Episode: A.D. Carson - Department of Music, University of Virginia

Ousmane Power-Greene

Historian, Department of History, Clark University

Clark University

Episode: Ousmane Power-Greene - Department of History, Clark University

Dylan Penningroth

Alexander F and May T. Morrison Professor of American History and Citizenship; Professor of Law, Jurisprudence and Social Policy at UC Berkeley

University of California, Berkeley

Episode: Dylan C. Penningroth - Department of History, University of California, Berkeley

Jessica Millward

Professor of History and African American Studies, UC Irvine

University of California, Irvine

Episode: Jessica Millward - Departments of History and African American Studies, University of California, Irvine

Karla Holloway

Professor Emeritus in the Departments of English and African American Studies, Duke University

Duke University

Episode: Karla FC Holloway - Departments of English and African American Studies, Duke University

Host

John Drabinski

Host of The Black Studies Podcast; frequently leads discussions on Black Studies history, pedagogy, and institutional critique.

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 97 ratings

Thank you!
What a gift, even more so now. Thank you to Dr. Drabinski, Dr. Newby, and the amazing Black scholars who insist on speaking with and to each other.
Apple Podcasts
5
Madblck
United States2 months ago
Thank you!
What a gift, even more so now. Thank you to Dr. Drabinski and the amazing Black scholars who insist on speaking with and to each other.
Apple Podcasts
5
Madblck
United States4 months ago
Being curious will save us.
My sister is blessed and guided. 🙏🏽✨🥰
Apple Podcasts
5
Ally J’s Music
United States6 months ago
The best podcast
I’ve been waiting a long time for a podcast like this. Great conversations with dope scholars. I hope this pod lasts forever
Apple Podcasts
5
Durham PG
United Statesa year ago
Excellent podcast!
This is such an important archive for the Black Studies field. I’m not an academic and I don’t work in the humanities or social sciences. But I have found the personal
stories and the approach to the work to be fascinating and illuminating. Plus I’m
Learning new words and new writers :-)
Apple Podcasts
5
NzingaT
United Statesa year ago

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Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

High-quality guests and nuanced discussions that reward careful listening.

Scholarly but deeply engaging; the conversations feel essential for understanding Black Studies' past, present, and future.

Excellent bridge between academic work and community impact.

Important archive for the field with accessible, human storytelling.

Thoughtful, rigorous engagement with Black Studies and its living practices.

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Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Leigh Raiford - Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies, University of California, Berkeley

Q: What tools or questions do you think Black Studies should offer to students and communities?

Her closing question emphasizes practical tools over platitudes, advocating solidarity, care for elders, and a diasporic, global approach to knowledge that interlinks histories of oppression with collective emancipation.

Leigh Raiford - Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies, University of California, Berkeley

Q: How do you see the origins of Black Studies influencing your current work and teaching?

She explains the field's origins in 1960s activism and the ongoing tension between radical community partnerships and institutional legitimacy, and she discusses applying Marable's principles (descriptive, corrective, prescriptive) with an added imaginative axis in her pedagogy.

Dylan C. Penningroth - Department of History, University of California, Berkeley

Q: How does your cross-disciplinary work between history and law influence your teaching?

I bring a historian's sense of archive incompleteness and a legal historian's attention to case materials, using analogies to make complex legal histories meaningful in multiracial democracy courses and to help students see race as embedded in everyday legal structures beyond explicit racial references.

Dylan C. Penningroth - Department of History, University of California, Berkeley

Q: How did you get into black studies?

I grew up loving stories and, guided by family and a librarian, became a bookworm who gravitated toward history and stories about Black experiences; graduate study then sharpened this focus into a serious academic path.

A.D. Carson - Department of Music, University of Virginia

Q: What are the challenges of doing this kind of work in academia, and how do you handle critiques or confrontations?

Carson discusses pushback from institutions, co-opting of hip hop imagery by universities, and the need to persist despite critics; he stresses the importance of credibility earned through impact, not traditional gatekeeping, and the role of careful pedagogy to foster empathy and critical listening in students.

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Frequently Asked Questions About The Black Studies Podcast

What is The Black Studies Podcast about and what kind of topics does it cover?

The show features rigorous, interdisciplinary conversations with scholars, artists, and practitioners centered on Black Studies as a field, its history, methods, and political relevance. Guests range from senior scholars and activists to emergent voices in anthropology, literature, diaspora studies, and media, often linking scholarship to community engagement and public pedagogy. Notable is the emphasis on building enduring Black institutions, transnational perspectives, and praxis-oriented scholarship that bridges academia and community activism. Listeners can expect thoughtful critiques of higher education, vibrant discussions of pedagogy, and visions for the future of Black Studies rooted in land, sovereignty, and collective care.

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Which podcasts are similar to The Black Studies Podcast?

These podcasts share a similar audience with The Black Studies Podcast:

1. Code Switch
2. It's Been a Minute
3. Our Ancestors Were Messy
4. Native Land Pod
5. Brown Ambition

How many episodes of The Black Studies Podcast are there?

The Black Studies Podcast launched 2 years ago and published 297 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact The Black Studies Podcast?

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What guests have appeared on The Black Studies Podcast?

Recent guests on The Black Studies Podcast include:

1. Leigh Raiford
2. Mark B. Campbell
3. Nicosia Shakes
4. Nadia Alahmed
5. AD Carson
6. Ousmane Power-Greene
7. Dylan Penningroth
8. Jessica Millward

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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