معرفی
Delali Kumavie is an Assistant Professor of English at Syracuse University, affiliated with Women's and Gender Studies. She holds a Ph.D. in English from Northwestern University (2020), with prior fellowships at Harvard University’s Mahindra Humanities Institute and the University of Virginia’s Carter G. Woodson Institute. Her research bridges Global Black Literature, Science and Technology Studies, and Black Ecologies, focusing on aviation’s role in shaping racialized geographies. Her book project Aerial Geographies examines air travel infrastructure as sites of Black life/death and racial structuring.
Education:
- Ph.D., English Language and Literature, Northwestern University (2020)
- M.A., English Language and Literature, Northwestern University (2018)
- M.S., English Studies, Illinois State University (2012)
- B.A., English, University of Ghana (2009)
Research Interests: Kumavie’s scholarship interrogates how aviation technology and airspaces (airplanes, airports) mediate Black mobility and identity. She analyzes texts by authors like Abdulrazak Gurnah, Nnedi Okorafor, and Lesley Nneka Arimah to explore themes of displacement, haunting, and ecological justice. Recent work critiques airport spaces as sites of racialized violence and migrant vulnerability.
Awards & Grants:
- "Aerial Geographies" grant from Institute for Citizens & Scholars (2024-2024)
- Faculty Creative Activities and Research (FCAR) Grant (2023-2024)
Teaching & Service: Teaches courses on race, literature, and empire. Served on Syracuse’s Graduate Committee and mentors through the FPP program. Active in professional organizations like the Modern Language Association and American Comparative Literature Association.
