Curriculum Vitae
L. Kaifa Roland (PDF)
Clemson University
Director, Global Black Studies/Associate Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies
252 Sirrine Hall
Clemson, South Carolina 29634
[email protected]
Education
Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology, Duke University, 2004
M.A. in African Studies, Howard University, 1994
B.A. in Third World Studies (Africa/Latin America), Oberlin College, 1991
Research and Teaching Interests
Anthropology of Entrepreneurship
Anthropology and Race
Anthropology and Tourism
Cuban Culture and Nationalism
Comparative of Caribbean Cultures
Global Blackness and African Diaspora Studies
Popular Culture(s)
Post-Socialism and Globalization
Academic Positions
Clemson University, Director, Global Black Studies Program and Associate Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies (Anthropology), August 2021–present. August 2021–present. Tasked with building the undergraduate major (3-year contract). Courses taught: Black Women and the Pursuit of Happiness, Introduction to Pan-African Studies
University of Colorado at Boulder, Chair, Department of Women and Gender Studies, July 2020–July 2021.
University of Colorado at Boulder, Associate Professor of Anthropology, 2006–2021. Courses taught: Advanced Seminar in Cultural Anthropology (graduate seminar); Anthropology and Race (graduate seminar); Anthropology and the Next Generation of Star Trek; Anthropology of Tourism; Brown Studies: A Toolkit for and about the Mixed and Multiracial; The Caribbean in Post-colonial Perspective; Core Seminar in Cultural Anthropology (graduate seminar); Cuban Culture: Race, Gender, and Power; Ethnography and the Ethnographic (graduate seminar). Global Seminar in Cuba: Race, Power, and Tourism in Contemporary Cuba; Popular Culture(s); Zora Neale Hurston, Anthropologist
Kenyon College, Visiting Professor in Anthropology, 2004–2006. Courses taught: Cuban Culture: Race, Gender; and Power; Zora Neale Hurston, Anthropologist; Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
Kenyon College, Visiting Instructor in Anthropology/Dissertation Fellow, 2003–2004. Courses taught: Contemporary Culture in Cuba and the Caribbean, Anthropology of Tourism
Duke University, Instructor, Spring 2003 and Fall 1999. Courses taught: Contemporary Culture in Cuba and the Caribbean, University Writing Program
Duke University, Graduate Assistant, Fall 1998–Fall 2002.
Courses taught: Culture and Politics of the Caribbean; Anthropology of Race; Crossing Cultures; American Values; Senior Honors Seminar
Peer-reviewed Publications
2022. “P Equals Pass: Reflections of a Perfectionist on Surviving the Professoriate” Journal of Colorism Studies, 4(1):1–9. Special issue: Mastered and Phdished: Reflections of Women of Color in Higher Education.
2020. “Black Hair Everywhere!” Journal of Anthropological and Archaeological Sciences 1(4): 94–97.
2017. “How Bodies Matter: Yesterday’s America Today.” HAU: Journal of Ethnographic Theory 7 (1): 441–447.
2014. “Between Belonging and the F/Act of Niggerisation.” In Trayvon Martin, Race, and “American Justice:”Writing Wrong. K.J Fasching-Varner, A. Dixson, R. Reynolds, K. Albert, eds. Pp. 215–220. Rotterdam, The Netherlands: Sense Publishers.
2013. “T/Racing Belonging through Cuban Tourism.” Cultural Anthropology. 28(3):396–419.
2011. Cuban Color in Tourism and La Lucha: An Ethnography of Racial Meanings. New York: Oxford University Press.
2010. “Tourism and the Commodification of Cubanidad.” Tourist Studies. 10(1):3–18.
2006. “Tourism and the Negrificación of Cuban Identity.” Transforming Anthropology. 14(2):151–162.
Non-Peer-reviewed Publications
2023. “Dear Reluctant Reviewer 2” In “Yours Sincerely an Uncertain Anthropologist,” edited by Paige Edmiston and Alexandra Dantzer, American Ethnologist website, September 27 2023.
2015. “I Will Not Call Her Name: An Ethno-Poem on Racial and Gendered Violence.” Savage Minds: Notes and Queries in Anthropology (blog).
2015. “Moving Beyond Microagressions: In Hale and Beyond.” Hale Herald 23(16: December 8).
2014. “The Future at Last: Unraveling the Embargo on Cuba.” Savage Minds: Notes and Queries in Anthropology (blog).
2008. “After Fidel, Much the Same.” Round-table commentary for Transforming Anthropology 16(1):72-73.
2002. “Yolanda T. Moses: 1996-1997” in Celebrating a Century of the American Anthropological Association: Presidential Portraits, eds., Regna Darnell and Frederic W. Gleach. American Anthropological Association, Lincoln, NE, University of Nebraska Press.
Works in Progress
Under Review: “Four Women: AfroCubana Entrepreneurial Experiences” (submitted to Journal of Latin American Caribbean Anthropology, July 2024)
In progress: Black OurStory: Lessons towards Detraumatized Futures (book project for submission to Black Studies presses)
Research Conducted
Minding Her Business: AfroCubana Entrepreneurial Experiences
Doctoral Dissertation: “El Color No Importa? Tourism and Race in Contemporary Cuba”
Master’s Thesis: “Manifestations of African Consciousness in Brazil: the Evolution of the Movimento Negro Unificado”
Awards and Fellowships
President's Leadership Institute (Clemson), 2023-2024
GBS Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence (Fellow Dr. Paulette Ramsay), Spring 2024
Graduate School Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award, (CU Boulder), 2020
Research and Innovation/RIO Program Faculty Fellow (CU Boulder), 2018–2019
Leadership Education for Advancement and Promotion/LEAP-Sponsored
Associate Professor Growth Grant (CU Boulder), 2018–2019
Center to Advance Research in the Social Sciences (CARTSS) Award (CU Boulder), 2010/2014
Dean’s Fund for Excellence (CU Boulder), 2009
Dissertation Fellow (Kenyon College), 2003–2004
John Hope Franklin Teaching Award (Duke University), 2003
Invited Presentations (past 10 years)
“Ethnography in the Interim: The Making of Minding Her Business: AfroCubana Tourism Entrepreneurs.” Anthropology Department, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO. September 29, 2023.
"Bringing Cultural Talks to the Table: Black Studies and Experiences in Cuba," This Prof Life: Women of Color in Higher Education.(podcast interviewee) https://www.drpatsanders.com/. July 18, 2023.
"Office Hours: A Secret to Success," Instructor Connections (unedited link). Clemson University Academic Success Center (edited link for enrolled students only). June 30, 2023.
“What I Learned from the Toughest Conversations I’ve Had in my Career,” Grounded Knowledge Panelist. Center for Teaching and Learning. November 18, 2020 (with pre-GKP sessions on October 28, November 4, and 11).
“Thriving in Community: Identities on Campus,” Panelist, Thriving at CU: A New Faculty Series. Zoom online event, October 22, 2020.
“Black and Indian and Biracial Woman: A VP Forum,” Organizer and Moderator, Women and Gender Studies. Zoom online event, October 21, 2020.
“Cuba Becomes Her,” Research & Innovation Office Community Ted-style Talk. Dairy Arts Center, Boulder, Colorado. October 15, 2019.
“Intersectionality and Nationalism: The Impact of Colonialism in the Caribbean on the Lived Experiences of Black Women at Home and Abroad,” Panelist, Internationalization Summit, University of Denver, April 11, 2019.
“Navigating Racialized Space: Notes on Bodies and Borders” Panel Discussant, Borders Conference, University of Colorado-Boulder. September 30, 2017.
“Shades of Belonging in Cuban Tourism,” Guest Lecture, Introduction to Culture and Society (Instructor: Dr. Mary Slade). California State University-San Bernardino, CA. May 16, 2016.
“The More Things Change…Touristic Nostalgia in Tomorrow’s Cuba,” California State University-San Bernardino, CA. May 16, 2016.
“The More Things Change…Touristic Nostalgia in Tomorrow’s Cuba,” Cuba in Transition Symposium. Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, CO. April 15, 2016.
“Ethics and Ethnography: Power to the Peoples” Panel Discussant, Ethnographic Turn Conference, University of Colorado-Boulder. October 1, 2016.
“Thinking Through Difference: From Theory to Practice” Workshop Panelist (with Dr. Bianca Williams), University of Colorado-Boulder, Anthropology Department, February 26, 2016.
“Paper Promises: Troubled Temporalities and Uncertain Citizens,” Panel Discussant, The Fantastic and the Banal Conference, University of Colorado-Boulder. September 27, 2013.
“Shades of Belonging in Cuban Tourism,” Research Network on Racial and Ethnic Inequality/Sociology Department Race Network. Duke University, Durham, NC. March 25, 2013.
“Talk about Teaching,” Caribbean Initiative Teaching Symposium. Beloit College, Beloit, WI. March 22, 2013.
“Shades of Belonging in Cuban Tourism,” Caribbean Initiative Lecture Series. Beloit College, Beloit, WI. March 21, 2013.
Papers Presented (past 10 years)
“Critical Race Theory vs Replacement Theory: When Praxis is Deadly” Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) Diversity Seminar. Clemson University. May 26, 2022.
“Critical Race Theory: What It Is, and What It Ain’t.” Clemson University Student Senate. April 4, 2022.
“Critical Race Theory: What It Is, and What It Ain’t” Creating Habits and Norms Guiding Ethical Decisions (CHANGE). Clemson University. March 31, 2022.
“Perceptions of Infrastructural Needs in the Global Black World” Class Talk: Clemson Engineering for Developing Countries. October 29, 2021.
“Race Is, Race Ain’t: On Bodies and Belonging” Embodiment and Race II Conference, Clemson University. November 4, 2021.
“Diversity & Inclusion Research & Praxis in a Color-Blind Context,” Globalizing Diversity and Inclusion Research: Designing a Transnational Approach to Promoting Educational Access and Equity for Racial and Minoritized Communities around the World. The Expertise Centre for Diversity Policy (ECHO) International Summit, The Hague, the Netherlands. January 16-21, 2020.
“Touring Cuba in Black: Winning Women in Cuban Touristic Entrepreneurship” Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association, Washington, DC. December 1, 2017.
Languages
Spanish (fluent)
French (reading comprehension)
Portuguese (reading comprehension)
Professional Associations
American Anthropological Association
American Ethnological Society
Association of Black Anthropologists
Caribbean Studies Association (Executive Committee, 2022-2023)
Society for Cultural Anthropologists
Society for Latin American and Caribbean Anthropology
L. Kaifa Roland (PDF)
Clemson University
Director, Global Black Studies/Associate Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies
252 Sirrine Hall
Clemson, South Carolina 29634
[email protected]
Education
Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology, Duke University, 2004
M.A. in African Studies, Howard University, 1994
B.A. in Third World Studies (Africa/Latin America), Oberlin College, 1991
Research and Teaching Interests
Anthropology of Entrepreneurship
Anthropology and Race
Anthropology and Tourism
Cuban Culture and Nationalism
Comparative of Caribbean Cultures
Global Blackness and African Diaspora Studies
Popular Culture(s)
Post-Socialism and Globalization
Academic Positions
Clemson University, Director, Global Black Studies Program and Associate Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies (Anthropology), August 2021–present. August 2021–present. Tasked with building the undergraduate major (3-year contract). Courses taught: Black Women and the Pursuit of Happiness, Introduction to Pan-African Studies
University of Colorado at Boulder, Chair, Department of Women and Gender Studies, July 2020–July 2021.
University of Colorado at Boulder, Associate Professor of Anthropology, 2006–2021. Courses taught: Advanced Seminar in Cultural Anthropology (graduate seminar); Anthropology and Race (graduate seminar); Anthropology and the Next Generation of Star Trek; Anthropology of Tourism; Brown Studies: A Toolkit for and about the Mixed and Multiracial; The Caribbean in Post-colonial Perspective; Core Seminar in Cultural Anthropology (graduate seminar); Cuban Culture: Race, Gender, and Power; Ethnography and the Ethnographic (graduate seminar). Global Seminar in Cuba: Race, Power, and Tourism in Contemporary Cuba; Popular Culture(s); Zora Neale Hurston, Anthropologist
Kenyon College, Visiting Professor in Anthropology, 2004–2006. Courses taught: Cuban Culture: Race, Gender; and Power; Zora Neale Hurston, Anthropologist; Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
Kenyon College, Visiting Instructor in Anthropology/Dissertation Fellow, 2003–2004. Courses taught: Contemporary Culture in Cuba and the Caribbean, Anthropology of Tourism
Duke University, Instructor, Spring 2003 and Fall 1999. Courses taught: Contemporary Culture in Cuba and the Caribbean, University Writing Program
Duke University, Graduate Assistant, Fall 1998–Fall 2002.
Courses taught: Culture and Politics of the Caribbean; Anthropology of Race; Crossing Cultures; American Values; Senior Honors Seminar
Peer-reviewed Publications
2022. “P Equals Pass: Reflections of a Perfectionist on Surviving the Professoriate” Journal of Colorism Studies, 4(1):1–9. Special issue: Mastered and Phdished: Reflections of Women of Color in Higher Education.
2020. “Black Hair Everywhere!” Journal of Anthropological and Archaeological Sciences 1(4): 94–97.
2017. “How Bodies Matter: Yesterday’s America Today.” HAU: Journal of Ethnographic Theory 7 (1): 441–447.
2014. “Between Belonging and the F/Act of Niggerisation.” In Trayvon Martin, Race, and “American Justice:”Writing Wrong. K.J Fasching-Varner, A. Dixson, R. Reynolds, K. Albert, eds. Pp. 215–220. Rotterdam, The Netherlands: Sense Publishers.
2013. “T/Racing Belonging through Cuban Tourism.” Cultural Anthropology. 28(3):396–419.
2011. Cuban Color in Tourism and La Lucha: An Ethnography of Racial Meanings. New York: Oxford University Press.
2010. “Tourism and the Commodification of Cubanidad.” Tourist Studies. 10(1):3–18.
2006. “Tourism and the Negrificación of Cuban Identity.” Transforming Anthropology. 14(2):151–162.
Non-Peer-reviewed Publications
2023. “Dear Reluctant Reviewer 2” In “Yours Sincerely an Uncertain Anthropologist,” edited by Paige Edmiston and Alexandra Dantzer, American Ethnologist website, September 27 2023.
2015. “I Will Not Call Her Name: An Ethno-Poem on Racial and Gendered Violence.” Savage Minds: Notes and Queries in Anthropology (blog).
2015. “Moving Beyond Microagressions: In Hale and Beyond.” Hale Herald 23(16: December 8).
2014. “The Future at Last: Unraveling the Embargo on Cuba.” Savage Minds: Notes and Queries in Anthropology (blog).
2008. “After Fidel, Much the Same.” Round-table commentary for Transforming Anthropology 16(1):72-73.
2002. “Yolanda T. Moses: 1996-1997” in Celebrating a Century of the American Anthropological Association: Presidential Portraits, eds., Regna Darnell and Frederic W. Gleach. American Anthropological Association, Lincoln, NE, University of Nebraska Press.
Works in Progress
Under Review: “Four Women: AfroCubana Entrepreneurial Experiences” (submitted to Journal of Latin American Caribbean Anthropology, July 2024)
In progress: Black OurStory: Lessons towards Detraumatized Futures (book project for submission to Black Studies presses)
Research Conducted
Minding Her Business: AfroCubana Entrepreneurial Experiences
Doctoral Dissertation: “El Color No Importa? Tourism and Race in Contemporary Cuba”
Master’s Thesis: “Manifestations of African Consciousness in Brazil: the Evolution of the Movimento Negro Unificado”
Awards and Fellowships
President's Leadership Institute (Clemson), 2023-2024
GBS Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence (Fellow Dr. Paulette Ramsay), Spring 2024
Graduate School Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award, (CU Boulder), 2020
Research and Innovation/RIO Program Faculty Fellow (CU Boulder), 2018–2019
Leadership Education for Advancement and Promotion/LEAP-Sponsored
Associate Professor Growth Grant (CU Boulder), 2018–2019
Center to Advance Research in the Social Sciences (CARTSS) Award (CU Boulder), 2010/2014
Dean’s Fund for Excellence (CU Boulder), 2009
Dissertation Fellow (Kenyon College), 2003–2004
John Hope Franklin Teaching Award (Duke University), 2003
Invited Presentations (past 10 years)
“Ethnography in the Interim: The Making of Minding Her Business: AfroCubana Tourism Entrepreneurs.” Anthropology Department, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO. September 29, 2023.
"Bringing Cultural Talks to the Table: Black Studies and Experiences in Cuba," This Prof Life: Women of Color in Higher Education.(podcast interviewee) https://www.drpatsanders.com/. July 18, 2023.
"Office Hours: A Secret to Success," Instructor Connections (unedited link). Clemson University Academic Success Center (edited link for enrolled students only). June 30, 2023.
“What I Learned from the Toughest Conversations I’ve Had in my Career,” Grounded Knowledge Panelist. Center for Teaching and Learning. November 18, 2020 (with pre-GKP sessions on October 28, November 4, and 11).
“Thriving in Community: Identities on Campus,” Panelist, Thriving at CU: A New Faculty Series. Zoom online event, October 22, 2020.
“Black and Indian and Biracial Woman: A VP Forum,” Organizer and Moderator, Women and Gender Studies. Zoom online event, October 21, 2020.
“Cuba Becomes Her,” Research & Innovation Office Community Ted-style Talk. Dairy Arts Center, Boulder, Colorado. October 15, 2019.
“Intersectionality and Nationalism: The Impact of Colonialism in the Caribbean on the Lived Experiences of Black Women at Home and Abroad,” Panelist, Internationalization Summit, University of Denver, April 11, 2019.
“Navigating Racialized Space: Notes on Bodies and Borders” Panel Discussant, Borders Conference, University of Colorado-Boulder. September 30, 2017.
“Shades of Belonging in Cuban Tourism,” Guest Lecture, Introduction to Culture and Society (Instructor: Dr. Mary Slade). California State University-San Bernardino, CA. May 16, 2016.
“The More Things Change…Touristic Nostalgia in Tomorrow’s Cuba,” California State University-San Bernardino, CA. May 16, 2016.
“The More Things Change…Touristic Nostalgia in Tomorrow’s Cuba,” Cuba in Transition Symposium. Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, CO. April 15, 2016.
“Ethics and Ethnography: Power to the Peoples” Panel Discussant, Ethnographic Turn Conference, University of Colorado-Boulder. October 1, 2016.
“Thinking Through Difference: From Theory to Practice” Workshop Panelist (with Dr. Bianca Williams), University of Colorado-Boulder, Anthropology Department, February 26, 2016.
“Paper Promises: Troubled Temporalities and Uncertain Citizens,” Panel Discussant, The Fantastic and the Banal Conference, University of Colorado-Boulder. September 27, 2013.
“Shades of Belonging in Cuban Tourism,” Research Network on Racial and Ethnic Inequality/Sociology Department Race Network. Duke University, Durham, NC. March 25, 2013.
“Talk about Teaching,” Caribbean Initiative Teaching Symposium. Beloit College, Beloit, WI. March 22, 2013.
“Shades of Belonging in Cuban Tourism,” Caribbean Initiative Lecture Series. Beloit College, Beloit, WI. March 21, 2013.
Papers Presented (past 10 years)
“Critical Race Theory vs Replacement Theory: When Praxis is Deadly” Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) Diversity Seminar. Clemson University. May 26, 2022.
“Critical Race Theory: What It Is, and What It Ain’t.” Clemson University Student Senate. April 4, 2022.
“Critical Race Theory: What It Is, and What It Ain’t” Creating Habits and Norms Guiding Ethical Decisions (CHANGE). Clemson University. March 31, 2022.
“Perceptions of Infrastructural Needs in the Global Black World” Class Talk: Clemson Engineering for Developing Countries. October 29, 2021.
“Race Is, Race Ain’t: On Bodies and Belonging” Embodiment and Race II Conference, Clemson University. November 4, 2021.
“Diversity & Inclusion Research & Praxis in a Color-Blind Context,” Globalizing Diversity and Inclusion Research: Designing a Transnational Approach to Promoting Educational Access and Equity for Racial and Minoritized Communities around the World. The Expertise Centre for Diversity Policy (ECHO) International Summit, The Hague, the Netherlands. January 16-21, 2020.
“Touring Cuba in Black: Winning Women in Cuban Touristic Entrepreneurship” Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association, Washington, DC. December 1, 2017.
Languages
Spanish (fluent)
French (reading comprehension)
Portuguese (reading comprehension)
Professional Associations
American Anthropological Association
American Ethnological Society
Association of Black Anthropologists
Caribbean Studies Association (Executive Committee, 2022-2023)
Society for Cultural Anthropologists
Society for Latin American and Caribbean Anthropology
