Julius Fleming

Julius Fleming is an Associate Professor of English at the University of Maryland, College Park, affiliated with the College of Arts and Humanities. He holds a Ph.D. in English and a graduate certificate in Africana Studies from the University of Pennsylvania, as well as a B.A. from Tougaloo College. His research focuses on Afro-diasporic literatures and cultures, with expertise in performance studies, black political culture, and colonialism. His landmark book, Black Patience: Performance, Civil Rights, and the Unfinished Project of Emancipation (2022), redefines the Civil Rights Movement through the lens of Black theater, earning multiple accolades including shortlists for major book prizes.

• Awards: Foerster Prize (2019), Nancy Weiss Malkiel Scholar Award (2018), African Diaspora Emerging Scholar Award (2017), and Honorable Mention for the John W. Frick Book Award (2023).
• Grants & Fellowships: Mellon Foundation, Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, and University of Virginia’s Carter G. Woodson Institute.

His current projects include a book exploring colonial expansion’s impact on Afro-diasporic cultural production. Fleming has served as Associate Editor of Callaloo and Black Perspectives, leveraging his editorial work to amplify underrepresented voices in Black studies. His scholarship bridges historical analysis, performance theory, and critical race studies, emphasizing the intersection of time, space, and Black ontology.