معرفی
Dr. Kiana T. Murphy is an Assistant Professor of American Studies at Brown University, specializing in intersections of Black Studies, Gender & Sexuality Studies, and Archival Theory. Her work bridges Black speculative aesthetics with Black girlhood studies, focusing on how Black women and queer artists reimagine futures through worldbuilding. She holds a PhD and MA from the University of Pennsylvania and a BA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Education
- PhD in English, University of Pennsylvania (2021)
- MA in English, University of Pennsylvania (2016)
- BA in English/Creative Writing/Sociology, University of Wisconsin-Madison (2015)
Research Interests
Murphy's interdisciplinary research examines speculative aesthetics in 20th/21st century Black cultural production. Her current book project analyzes how Black women, queer, and non-binary creators center Black girlhood in worldbuilding across genres. This work critiques systems of criminalization while advocating for intersectional frameworks of care and futurity. Her creative writing explores gentrification's impact on Black children's imaginations.
Awards & Fellowships
- 2024-2025 BBQ+ Center Fellowship
- 2024 NEH Institute Fellow (People's History of Landscape)
- 2023 NEH Institute Fellow (Reconstructing the Black Archive)
- 2021-2022 Huntington Library Mellon Fellow
Teaching & Mentorship
Murphy teaches courses on Black science fiction, archive theory, comics studies, and Black queer life. Recent courses include Black to the Future: Race as Science Fiction and Black Archival Experiments. She has advised the Black Cultural Studies Collective and co-curated the Joanna Banks Exhibit at UPenn's Kislak Center.
Labs & Collaborations
Her research engages interdisciplinary collaborations through fellowships and curatorial work, emphasizing public-facing scholarship and community archives.
