Jasmine E. Johnson

Jasmine E. Johnson is an Assistant Professor of Africana Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, affiliated with the School of Arts & Sciences and the Center for Africana Studies. Her research focuses on the politics of Black movement, including dance, diasporic travel, and gentrification, situated at the intersection of diaspora theory, dance/performance studies, ethnography, and Black feminisms.

Her first book project, Rhythm Nation: West African Dance and the Politics of Diaspora, is a transnational ethnography on the West African dance industry. She has held fellowships from the Ford Foundation, National Endowment for the Humanities, and Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Her work appears in journals such as The Drama Review, ASAP Journal, and Dance Research Journal.

Johnson serves on the Board of Directors for the Collegium for African Diaspora Dance and the Dance Studies Association. Her interdisciplinary approach bridges academia and community engagement, emphasizing the cultural and political dimensions of Black diasporic expression.