A Beyoncé Feminist

Authors

  • Naila Keleta-Mae University of Waterloo

Keywords:

Beyoncé, Feminism, Black Feminism

Abstract

Beyoncé’s album Beyoncé is a vexing articulation of twenty-first century mainstream feminism that captivated audiences worldwide. Whether or not feminist scholars, activists, or artists agree with Beyoncé’s discourse, her influence on popular culture is undeniable and it would be negligent for those of us invested in women’s and gender studies to dismiss the album or its principal artist. Résumé L’album Beyoncé de Beyoncé est une articulation fâcheuse du courant féministe dominant du 21e siècle qui a captivé le public dans le monde entier. Que les universitaires, les militantes ou les artistes féministes soient ou non d’accord avec le discours de Beyoncé, son influence sur la culture populaire est indéniable et il serait négligent pour ceux d’entre nous qui sont investis dans des études sur le genre et les femmes de ne pas prendre l’album ou sa principale artiste au sérieux.

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Author Biography

Naila Keleta-Mae, University of Waterloo

Dr. Naila Keleta-Mae is an artist-scholar and Assistant Professor in the Department of Drama and Speech Communication at the University of Waterloo where she researches critical race, gender and performance studies.  Her scholarship has been published in journals and magazines including Theatre Research in Canada, Canadian Theatre Review, alt.theatre and CanPlay and she is a co-applicant on Dr. Andrea Davis’ Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) project “Youth and community development in Canada and Jamaica: A transnational approach to youth violence.” Dr. Keleta-Mae gave the TEDx Talk “Imagine & Do” and she has been awarded the New Scholars Prize by the International Federation for Theatre Research, the Abella Scholarship for Studies in Equity from York University, the Susan Mann Dissertation Scholarship from York University, and a Canada Graduate Scholarship from SSHRC for her doctoral studies on black performance in Canada. Dr. Keleta-Mae is also a poet, recording artist, playwright, and director who has performed in Canada, France, South Africa and the United States of America. She has released two full-length albums, been produced by bcurrent, Black Theatre Workshop, and University of Waterloo Drama and published by The Toronto Star, Playwrights Canada Press, Fernwood Publishing and Frontenac House Publishing Ltd.

 

 

References

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Published

2017-06-09

Issue

Vol. 38 No. 1 (2017): What’s Intersectional about Intersectionality Now? & Intersectionality in Austere Times: Boundary Crossing Conversations

Section

38.1 - Open

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