From The Wiz to Wakanda: Afrofuturism in Pop Culture

By: Grace D. Gipson, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Grace D. Gipson

Afrofuturism is a cultural movement that seeks to explore and transform the experience of the African diaspora. Stretching across multiple art forms and genres, the movement taps into the limitless potential of creativity and the imagination to envision Black liberation through stories, music, architecture, fashion, music, and so much more.

In the six lessons of From The Wiz to Wakanda: Afrofuturism in Pop Culture, Grace D. Gipson of Virginia Commonwealth University will trace the history of the movement and introduce you to the writers, artists, and creators who are revisiting the past as they build a new vision for the future. From the work of pioneering Black writers like W. E. B. DuBois to the blockbuster Black Panther films and beyond, you’ll see how Afrofuturism is an ongoing cultural project that grows stronger and more multifaceted with each new generation of Afrofuturist creators.

A movement of both reclamation and innovation, Afrofuturism offers unique perspectives that will only continue to grow and evolve, challenging us to rethink the way we engage with history, pop culture, and our conception of the future. By fostering creative visions that push boundaries and shatter stereotypes, the Afrofuturist movement brings new, diverse narratives to life that are transforming our pop culture landscape in revolutionary ways.

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Informative summary inspiring people

This was a good informative summary of the influence of various people in a wide range of our current culture. Wonderful listen that has prompted me to look into specific body of works of music, architecture, and fashion.

Interesting but uneven

The content is fascinating and Grace D. Gipson clearly knows her subject. I appreciated the overview of Afrofuturism and its influence across different art forms, and some examples really opened my eyes. Still, the structure felt repetitive at times and I would have liked more depth in certain areas. The narration is pleasant, though not always engaging enough to keep the momentum. A good introduction, but not as compelling as I hoped for.

Love it

I love that this is a breakdown of what’s out there and what to start with in the space of AfroFuturism. More of this! ❤️‍🔥

A Great Survey

Afrofuturism has produced some truly wonderful stories and I was very pleased to have the opportunity to read this Great Lectures overview. At its heart, Afrofuturism is an effort to take black characters out of the supporting roles in novels and movies and give them the protagonist's position. And they want to do this without making them dark-skinned clones of white Europeans and Americans. They want to ground their characters and the future they are creating in the rich cultures and mythologies of Africans and African-Americans. The result has been some absolutely superb characters and stories and Gipson wants to introduce them all to you.

In some ways, the desire to cover dozens of authors and their tales is a weakness of this book because it costs Gipson the chance to really delve deeply into any single book, movie, or TV show. But on the other hand, she convincingly demonstrated that this subgenre of science fiction is no flash in the pan but a rich and enduring exploration of what can be—the whole reason science fiction exists in the first place.

As always when I read a book that surveys a lot of different titles, I was delighted to have read or at least known about so many of them. And if I disagree that The Wiz is truly an example of Afrofuturism, Gibson did convince me that it managed to incorporate many of the subgenre's critical themes. The Black Panther movie is probably the best-known example of Afrofuturism but Gibson didn't stop there, taking the time to touch on the movie's roots in the Marvel Comics character and many series, as well as sampling a large number of other influential cartoons and comic books exploring these ideas. She also convinced me that I have to finally make time for Lovecraft Country, which I wanted to watch when it was first released but never quite did.

This is a great book to expose you to a rich and exciting field of science fiction that you've probably enjoyed without realizing it exists.

Excellent short course on Afrofuturism

Great course that ties together early afrofuturism (who knew it went back to W.E.B. Du Bois?) all the way thru Sun Ra and P-Funk to the artists, architects, musicians, fashion designers and thinkers of today. Great presentation by Dr Gipson.