College of Letters & Science
Dr. Sabrina Thomas presented her paper, “Our Most Vulnerable Orphans”, at the Black German Historical Research Association annual meeting in February 2026. Learn more about the conference here.
The Modern Language Association (MLA) highlighted Dr. Brittney Edmonds in January 2026. Each month, MLA spotlights an individual who contributes to the humanities and their profession. Read spotlights here. Congratulations, Dr. Edmonds!
Congratulations to our chair and professor, Dr. Christy Clark-Pujara, who has been awarded with the 2026 Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award! Dr. Clark-Pujara joins twelve other faculty members who have been chosen to receive this year’s honor. Commencing in 1953, the Chancellor’s Award recognizes some of UW–Madison’s finest educators. Dr. Clark-Pujara is a historian of colonial North …
Dr. Christy Clark-Pujara joins 72 writers in the University of Illinois Press’ “Lingering Inland: A Literary Tour of The Midwest” anthology with her essay, “Rachel: Fort Crawford Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin”, published in December 2025. “Lingering Inland”, a work of creative non-fiction, asks how stories on Midwestern places influence or reflect experience. Learn more here.
Congratulations to Dr. Mosi Adesina Ifatunji, professor of African American Studies and Sociology, who has been named an Honored Instructor for the Fall 2025 semester through UW Housing. This marks Dr. Ifatunji’s third Honored Instructor Award since joining the department and university in 2019.
Dr. Brittney Edmonds has joined the editorial board for the oldest continuously published journal in Black studies, The Black Scholar, as their Associate Editor. “Founded on the premise that Black writers, scholars, activists and artists could participate in dialogue within its pages, The Black Scholar’s primary mission has been to chronicle, analyze, and debate the …
Professor Alexander Shashko has been named an Honored Instructor for the Fall 2025 semester through UW Housing, a completely student-led award initiative. Each semester, University Housing requests nominations from students on educators who have inspired their learning and daily practice through the student-led program “Honored Instructors.” Professor Shashko, a historian and music scholar, teaches courses …
The Essence Theme Community traveled to Chicago this fall on a daylong field trip designed to offer students an artful and educational experience, coinciding with the Department of African American Studies’ ongoing work to transition Essence into a Learning Community. The visit also allowed students an opportunity to meet Dr. Jessica Lee Stovall, who will …
“Porcelain Dolls and Chocolate Dreams,” a new student-written and student-directed play by UW–Madison African American Studies alum DeOnna Garrison, brings a rare spotlight to Black experiences on predominantly white campuses, and the cast says the collaboration behind it is just as powerful as the performance. Jnae Thompson, cast member and African American Studies Class of …
Dr. Max Felker-Kantor joined the Department of African American Studies as an Associate Professor in fall 2025. Affiliated with the Department of History and the Department of Educational Policy Studies, Felker-Kantor’s scholarship focuses on policing, race, and urban politics in the United States. His first book, Policing Los Angeles: Race, Resistance, and the Rise of …