Daphne A. Brooks

Daphne A. Brooks is William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of African American Studies, American Studies, Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, and Music at Yale University, where she contributes to interdisciplinary scholarship at the highest level. Her academic home is in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, with primary affiliation in the Department of African American Studies.

Her research centers on Black feminist theory, sound and music studies, African American performance, and popular culture. Brooks examines how race, gender, and sonic expression intersect in cultural production, especially through the lens of Black women’s intellectual and artistic labor. Her work bridges academic scholarship and public engagement, appearing in peer-reviewed journals and major outlets like The New York Times, The Nation, and Pitchfork.

The 15 most recent publications reflect a deep commitment to Black feminist sound, cultural history, and critical listening. Her articles and books analyze figures such as Nina Simone, Prince, Aretha Franklin, Zora Neale Hurston, and Toni Morrison, revealing how music functions as a site of resistance, identity, and revolution. Themes include sonic archives, Black female vocality, genre disruption, and the intellectual life of popular music.

Her work has been recognized with numerous awards, including:

• Errol Hill Award (ASTR)
• Museum of African American History Stone Book Award (2021)
• Before Columbus Foundation American Book Award (2022)
• ASTR Barnard Hewitt Award (2022)
• Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Ralph J. Gleason Music Book Award (2022)
• ASCAP Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Award (2021)
• PROSE Award in Music & the Performing Arts (2022)

Brooks has advised and mentored emerging scholars through her role as co-editor of the 33 1/3 Sound series and as co-founder of Yale’s Black Sound & the Archive Working Group. She curated the international conference Blackstar Rising & The Purple Reign, which will result in an edited volume. While specific grant details are not mentioned, her book projects with FSG and Duke University Press indicate major scholarly support and institutional backing.

She co-founded and co-directs the Black Sound & the Archive Working Group at Yale, a humanities initiative exploring sonic archives and Black cultural memory. This collaborative space fosters interdisciplinary research on sound, race, and history, positioning her as a leader in emerging fields of Black sound studies.