Petal Samuel

Petal Samuel is an Assistant Professor at the University of North Carolina, affiliated with the Department of English and the College of Arts & Sciences. Their research focuses on twentieth-century Afro-Caribbean literature, anticolonial thought, sound studies, and black feminisms. Samuel’s current project examines the role of soundscapes in colonial governance and resistance in the Caribbean and its diaspora, emphasizing Afro-Caribbean women writers’ subversive use of 'noisemaking.' They hold a B.A. in Africana Studies and English from the University of Pennsylvania and a M.A./Ph.D. in English from Vanderbilt University.

Samuel’s work bridges literary analysis with critical race and postcolonial theory, exploring how sound and silence function as tools of racial control. Their publications appear in The Black Scholar, Journal of West Indian Literature, and Anthurium. They previously served as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Carter G. Woodson Institute for African-American and African Studies at the University of Virginia (2016-2018).

Samuel’s research interests also extend to Caribbean aesthetics, diasporic cultural studies, and the intersections of black feminism with decolonial praxis. They have authored peer-reviewed interviews and reviews in Small Axe, Antipode, and Public Books, addressing topics like Pan-Africanism, economic colonialism, and Afrofuturism.