This project investigates the cultural exchange between African American and German culture during the 20th century, from the Harlem Renaissance through the Civil Rights movement and beyond. Interdisciplinary as well as intercultural, the topic is being explored through a variety of public events, including a four-part film series, an academic symposium, and a live music concert. Arrangements have also been made for a special section of the academic journal andererseits to be dedicated to publishing undergraduate research on this topic. Undergraduates will be exposed to this incredibly rich but under-researched topic through the public events that are being organized, and andererseits will then provide a venue for the publication of the individual work that they may pursue as a result.

In addition to the investigation of these interdisciplinary and intercultural cultural networks, this project is also dedicated to building an inter-institutional network. The steering committee for this grant is comprised of professors from four different Universities–Duke, UNC Chapel Hill, NC State, and NCCU—and a major focus is to find ways to bring together faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates from these schools to explore this theme and learn from one another. To that end, arrangements will also be made for transportation to each of the public events, in order to enable individuals from each University to attend easily.