Vaughn Rasberry

Vaughn Rasberry is an Associate Professor at Stanford University, affiliated with the Department of English, the Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity (CCSRE), and programs in Modern Thought and Literature, African and African American Studies, and American Studies. His research bridges African American literature, postcolonial theory, and geopolitical analysis.

• Ph.D., University of Chicago, English Language and Literature (2009)
• M.A., University of Chicago, Humanities (2001)
• B.A., Howard University, English Language and Literature (2000)

Rasberry's work examines how black writers engaged with totalitarianism during WWII and the Cold War. His book Race and the Totalitarian Century challenges narratives of African American acquiescence to postwar liberalism, emphasizing instead their independent critiques of U.S. imperialism and alignment with global decolonization movements.

He has published on James Baldwin, the Harlem Renaissance, and intersections of literature and political theory. Awards include the 2017 Ralph Bunche Award and a 2012 Annenberg Faculty Fellowship. His teaching spans topics like Language Politics and the Literary Imagination in Africa and collaborations with interdisciplinary programs.

• Ralph Bunche Award (2017)
• American Book Award (2017)
• Christian Gauss Award shortlist
• Annenberg Faculty Fellowship (2012-14)
• Schomburg Center Fellowship
• University of Pittsburgh Humanities Center Fellowship