{"podcast":{"title":"New Books in African American Studies","slug":"new-books-in-african-american-studies-614218","podcast_index_feed_id":614218,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/LIT9884742733","website_url":"https://newbooksnetwork.com","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/6ec4ef18-f161-11e8-aa0f-cb6d12c6835d/image/5571090387754d767d98f7128343781c.png?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"New Books Network","episode_count":1943,"summary":"This podcast is a channel on the New Books Network. The New Books Network is an academic audio library dedicated to public education. In each episode you will hear scholars discuss their recently published research with another expert in their field. Discover our 150+ channels and browse our 28,000+ episodes on our website: newbooksnetwork.com Subscribe to our free weekly Substack newsletter to get informative, engaging content straight to your inbox: https://newbooksnetwork.substack.com/ Follow us on Instagram and Bluesky to learn about more our latest interviews: @newbooksnetwork Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/african-american-studies","last_synced_at":"2026-06-27T14:21:48.015468+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-african-american-studies-614218"},"episode":{"title":"Michael E. Sawyer, \"The Door of No Return: Being-As-Black\" (Temple UP, 2026)","slug":"michael-e-sawyer-the-door-of-no-return-being-as-black-temple-up-2026","published_at":"2026-05-28T08:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-african-american-studies-614218/michael-e-sawyer-the-door-of-no-return-being-as-black-temple-up-2026","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-african-american-studies-614218","url":"https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/traffic.megaphone.fm/NBNK1081488382.mp3","audio_url":"https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/traffic.megaphone.fm/NBNK1081488382.mp3","summary":"In The Door of No Return: Being-As-Black (Temple University Press, 2026), Michael E. Sawyer presents a bold work of speculative theory and philosophy that explores how Black people bring the future into being—and what existence in that future looks like. He considers what people of African descent face and the proper response to the situation. He introduces the idea of Being-As-Black as a response and questions the overarching ethos that will be the guide to a beneficial resolution. Using critical theory and philosophy, Sawyer decouples Black identity and Black philosophy from White and Western frames by building on Toni Morrison’s ideas of Black Thought and encouraging an understanding of Black Self-Consciousness and Black Self-Identity on Black terms. The Door of No Return uses music, literature, visual art, and a variety of physical disciplines to imagine a world that differs from one that confounds the positive formation of Black Self-Consciousness under the coercive regime of white supremacy and Anti-Black racism. Michael E. Sawyer is Professor with Tenure of African American Literature & Culture, and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of English at the University of Pittsburgh. Brigid Wallace is a graduate student at Lehigh University whose research focuses on the French Atlantic and Latin American world during the 18th and 19th centuries. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/african-american-studies","meta_description":"In The Door of No Return: Being-As-Black (Temple University Press, 2026), Michael E. Sawyer presents a bold work of speculative theory and philosophy that…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":4008,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/new-books-in-african-american-studies-614218/episodes/michael-e-sawyer-the-door-of-no-return-being-as-black-temple-up-2026/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-african-american-studies-614218/michael-e-sawyer-the-door-of-no-return-being-as-black-temple-up-2026.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}