Public PhD defence of Folashade Ajayi: Between making sense of and sensing Black activism in Germany

Abstract

My PhD explores different dimensions of Black activism in Germany as a largely overlooked site of Black politics. There, Black activists have sustained a multi-faceted movement deeply rooted in Black feminist politics since the 1980s. My work on Black activism bridges different approaches to doing research. It oscillates between a traditional empirical social science and a sensuous-relational and more experimental approach that complements and consolidates each other as a fruitful space for understanding Black activism. Grounding my perspective on activism in the concepts of (anti)Blackness, relationality, intersectionality, and imagination allows me to explore the transformative potential and challenges of Black activism in confronting systemic oppression and envisioning new possibilities for collective liberation. 

My research aims to engage with different dimensions of Black activism by looking at the drivers, outcomes, dynamics, challenges, and potentialities of Black activism with its historical roots, theoretical and visionary underpinnings, and contemporary practices. My research contributes to and bridges the theoretical and sensuous understandings of contemporary forms of Black activism in Germany by exploring its drivers, impacts, and visions.