معرفی
Marshall L. Smith serves as Assistant Professor of French and Francophone Studies and Black Studies at Swarthmore College, bringing expertise shaped by his deep engagement with Africana and Francophone intellectual traditions.
His academic credentials include:
- Ph.D. in Africana Studies, Cornell University
- M.A. in Français Langue Étrangère with designated emphasis in Francophone Studies, University of Arizona-Tucson
- Undergraduate studies in French literature (New Orleans area)
Smith's research interrogates the symbolic, political, and economic dimensions of water as a constitutive element in diaspora formation, with concentrated focus on the U.S. South and Caribbean. He pioneers the conceptual linkage between water and blood as memorial spaces for the transatlantic slave trade (traite négrière), arguing these elements function as embodied archives of collective trauma. His methodological approach synthesizes Africana philosophy, postcolonial theory, and environmental humanities through the lens of his South Louisiana ancestry—rooted in French, Spanish, English, and African heritage.
His scholarly contributions have been recognized through:
- Fellowship from La Communauté Wallonie-Bruxelles and CODOFIL for advanced French language study
Smith's international academic trajectory includes teaching as lecteur d'anglais at Institut d'Anglais, Charles V-Université Paris Diderot-Paris 7, and graduate work under Dr. Jean-Godefroy Bidima (Collège International de Philosophie fellow) at Tulane University prior to his Cornell doctorate. His work bridges linguistic, historical, and geographical boundaries to reconfigure memorial landscapes of the African diaspora.
