Sarah Derbew

Sarah Derbew is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Classics at Stanford University, affiliated with the Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity and the Center for African Studies. Her work bridges ancient Greek literature with critical race theory, focusing on representations of blackness in tragedy, historiography, and art.

• PhD in Classics, Yale University
• Junior Fellow, Harvard Society of Fellows

Research Interests examine the intersection of Greek antiquity with African cultures (particularly Aksum and Nubia), performance theory, and decolonial approaches to classical scholarship. She also explores contemporary reception of Greco-Roman texts in Africa and the diaspora.

Recent Publications include Untangling Blackness in Greek Antiquity (2022) and co-editing Classics and Race: A Historical Reader (2025). Her work emphasizes interdisciplinary methodologies, combining literary analysis with museum studies and visual culture.

Scientific Awards include the Dean’s Award for Distinguished Teaching, Faculty Recognition Award, and Annenberg Faculty Fellowship. She has received grants from the Social Science Research Council and the MacMillan Center.

Teaching & Advising encompasses courses like Race in Greco-Roman Antiquity and Decolonial Approaches to African Literature and Art. She advises graduate students and leads initiatives like Continents in Conversation: A Literary Festival.

Academic Leadership includes co-president of Eos (Africana Receptions of Ancient Greece and Rome) and organizing conferences on contested classical receptions. She mentors through programs like DARE and EDGE to enhance diversity in academia.