Imagining Otherwise: Speculation in the Americas
The Inaugural Interseminars Cohort
The first Interseminars project, which launched in summer 2022, was led by faculty members Josue David Cisneros (Communication), Patrick Earl Hammie (Art and Design), and Jorge Lucero (Art and Design) and themed “Imagining Otherwise: Speculation in the Americas.”
The inaugural cohort's graduate fellows were Kofi Bazzell-Smith (Art & Design), D. Nicole Campbell (Communication), Daniela Morales Fredes (Urban & Regional Planning), Adanya Gilmore (Dance), Beatriz Jiménez (Spanish and Portuguese), Ramón (Ray) Martinez (Spanish and Portuguese), Emerson Parker Pehl (English), María B. Serrano-Abreu (Educational Psychology), and Toyosi Tejumade-Morgan (Theatre).
The Project Theme
Referencing examples from TV’s “Lovecraft Country” to recent anti-racist activist efforts, the cohort's theme centered speculation as a method for looking differently at the world—both to critically assess its status quo and to reimagine how it could be different. Studying speculative forms in art and activism, they proposed, can help guide scholarly and creative inquiry about crises ranging from climate change to systemic violence and immigration policy. The project’s work was foregrounded in the knowledge and experiences of historically marginalized communities throughout the Americas, exploring how speculation has been and can be used to reframe the past, present, and future.
Timeline and Activities
The group's first summer intensive was held in summer 2022. The 2022–23 academic year was then spent learning together, meeting with their special guests, and pursuing their research projects with support from the initiative’s Mellon grant. From a trip to Japan to studying violence in film, several of the fellows shared stories and insights from their Interseminars research and experiences throughout the year on HRI's Inquiry blog.
Learn more about Interseminars' special guests and events during 2022–23.
The group held their second—and final—summer intensive in August 2023 and then hosted an exciting two-day culminating symposium September 15–16, 2023, where they released a book. The book contains materials and resources from class, including syllabi; a photographic year-in-review; a Q & A with the fellows on their experiences; and research writings and creative works-in-progress, including an original play and artwork. Read the book announcement
Professors Cisneros, Hammie, and Lucero were interviewed by Amber Johnson on an episode of the Critical Futures podcast, which is produced by by the Institute for Healing Justice & Equity. Listen to the episode: “The Future of Graduate Education”