Alfred L. Martin Jr.

Alfred L. Martin Jr. is an Associate Professor and Department Chair of Cinematic Arts at the University of Miami. His work bridges media industry studies with audience/fandom studies, focusing on intersections of race, gender, and sexuality in film and television. He holds editorial board positions at Communication, Culture, and Critique, QED: A Journal of Queer Worldmaking, and others. His research explores Black fandom practices, queer representation in comedy, and the cultural politics of Black media production.

Key publications include The Generic Closet: Black Gayness and the Black-Cast Sitcom (2021), On the Black Hand Side: Black Fandom and Cultural Politics (2025), and edited volumes like (2024). Current projects include a co-authored monograph on Tongues Untied and a cultural history of The Wiz.

As a former ballet dancer, Martin teaches ballet and choreographs nationally. He serves on the Board of Console-ing Passions, a feminist media studies collective. His work has been featured in New York Times, USA Today, and NPR’s Marketplace.