Joseph May

Joseph May is a Professor of Global Studies in the Department of Social Science and Cultural Studies at Pratt Institute's School of Liberal Arts & Sciences. He founded Harmattan Theater, an environmental theater company in New York City, and serves as Managing Co-Editor-in-Chief of Island Studies Journal. His interdisciplinary work integrates critical theory, architectural theory, and performance practice to examine coastal and island environments within climate change contexts.

His educational background includes a Ph.D. in Dramatic Art from the University of California, Santa Barbara (1992), focusing on British Cultural Studies and Black British/African Film and Theater. Additional degrees comprise an M.A. in Directing and Playwriting from UCSB (1987), and M.A. (1985) and B.A. (1983) in English from Madras Christian College, India. He also attended the Oxford Center for African Studies (1990).

May's research centers on New York City as a forty-island archipelago and sinking ecology, exploring intersections of urbanism, water politics, and climate futures through comparative frameworks with East Africa, South and East Asia. His key interests include environmental theater, coastal resilience, anthropocenic histories, and applied pedagogical approaches to climate change. He investigates how performance traditions from Indian/Tanzanian folk theater, Japanese Kyogen, and experimental techniques (Grotowski, Brecht, Abramovich) can address water ecologies.

His recent publications reveal strong thematic convergence around climate vulnerability, island sovereignty, and performance-based climate interventions. Works span environmental philosophy, marine anthropology, and political ecology, consistently examining historical and contemporary water systems through interdisciplinary lenses. There is pronounced focus on archipelagic thinking, coastal urbanism, and decolonial approaches to environmental justice across global contexts.

May's scientific recognition includes:

• Luce Grant
• National Science Foundation Grant
• Mellon Grant
• Ford Foundation Grant
• Rockefeller Fellowship at Asian/American Center, CUNY
• Pembroke Center Post-Doctoral Fellowship at Brown
• University of Illinois Post-Doctoral Fellowship
• UC Humanities Research Institute Fellowship

His grant-funded research and artistic projects—supported by Luce, NSF, Mellon, and Ford foundations—drive Harmattan Theater's community-based performances addressing water issues across 12 global cities. These collaborations integrate diverse performance traditions with local communities to develop climate adaptation strategies through embodied practice.

As founder and artistic director of Harmattan Theater, May leads projects like Tkuweyo (2024, Little Island), Jape (2022, Rockaway), and Aquatopia (2017, Governors Island), creating site-specific works in Istanbul, Venice, Amsterdam, and Cape Town. The company synthesizes water politics, trance movement, ritual, and ecological knowledge to foster collective understanding of coastal futures.