The unrest is palpable. And the war declared is permanent. From Baltimore to Gaza, the geographies of state violence are proliferating with impunity, sanctioned and justified by the racial logic of the “War on Terror.” This talk will reflect on the histories that inform what Aime Cesaire called a “compass of suffering,” exploring the links between European colonialism and U.S. empire, cultural politics and political culture, and the unruly bodies that haunt the post-9/11 moment.
Sohail Daulatzai is the author of three books: Black Star, Crescent Moon: The Muslim International and Black Freedom beyond America; Born to Use Mics: Reading Nas’s Illmatic; and Return of the Mecca: The Art of Islam and Hip-Hop. His other writings have appeared in The Nation, Counterpunch, Al Jazeera, Souls, Wax Poetics, and Amer-Asia, among others. He has written liner notes for the 2012 release of the 20th Anniversary Deluxe Box Set of Rage Against the Machine’s self-titled debut album, the liner notes for the DVD release of Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme, and the centerpiece in the museum catalog Movement: Hip-Hop in L.A. – 1980s to Now. He is also the curator of two exhibits: Return of the Mecca: The Art of Islam and Hip-Hop as well asHistories Absolved: Revolutionary Cuban Poster Art and the Muslim International. He is the founder of Groundings, a conversation series that has included Immortal Technique, Chuck D, Rosa Clemente, dream hampton, Brother Ali, Robin D.G. Kelley and Jasiri X. He has two forthcoming books, including The Battle of Algiers: Then and Now and With Stones in Our Hands: Reflections on Race, Muslims and U.S. Empire (with Junaid Rana). He is an Associate Professor in the Department of Film and Media Studies and the Program in African American Studies at the University of California, Irvine.