30 Years of Afrofuturism (and Still Going)

The concept of Afrofuturism has gripped the imaginary of creatives from around the globe, from the sonic space travel of cosmic philosopher and jazz giant Sun Ra to Mukuka Nkoloso’s training of “Afronauts” at the Zambia National Academy of Science, Space Research and Philosophy. Since the coining of the term “Afrofuturism” in 1993, there have been an array of events dedicated to examining its history and expression. Examples include the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Before Yesterday We Could Fly: An Afrofuturist Period Room (November 5, 2021– present) and the National Museum of African American History and Culture’s Afrofuturism: A History of Black Futures (March 23, 2023 – March 24, 2024). These exhibitions explore the expansiveness of Afrofuturism culturally (in art, comics, fashion, film, literature, and music) in the United States and abroad.

As these exhibitions prove that Afrofuturism continues to be a topic of interest through which to consider speculative futures, this session’s chairs take a step back and ask: What is the relevance of Afrofuturism then and now? Why do artists and scholars continue to return to it as a vehicle of expression? Who is Afrofuturism for?

In light of these questions, this session invites contributions from authors and artists to consider Afrofuturism’s continued relevance in our present moment and to apply, define, clarify, challenge, and think with Afrofuturism in various ways: its history, its expressions, its purposes, and its ever-expanding conceptual framework.