Natasha Barnes

Natasha Barnes is an Associate Professor in the Department of English and affiliated with African American Studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). She holds a PhD and specializes in anglophone Caribbean and African American literature and culture. Her research examines intersections of race, gender, and nation in cultural politics, with a focus on the role of 'the popular' in Caribbean postcolonial contexts, including cricket, carnival, dancehall, and beauty pageants.

Her scholarly contributions include the book *Cultural Conundrums: Race, Gender, Nation And The Making Of Caribbean Cultural Politics*, which explores social, political, and ethical investments in Caribbean popular arts. Recently, she collaborated on an exhibition of lynching postcards from James Allen’s *Without Sanctuary: Lynching Photography In America*, and is currently researching the exhibition process.

Barnes’ publications include articles in *Small Axe* and *Researches In African Literatures*. She is based at UIC’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, with an office at 1207 UH, 601 S Morgan St, Chicago.