Improvise and Intervene
Interseminars Second Cohort: Improvise and Intervene
The second Interseminars cohort launched in 2023 with faculty conveners Maryam Kashani (Gender and Women’s Studies and Asian American Studies), Junaid Rana (Asian American Studies), and R. Elizabeth Velásquez Estrada (Latina/Latino Studies). The project's graduate fellows were Jackie Abing (Anthropology), Joe Bowie (Dance), Etienne Fields (Recreation, Sport and Tourism), Gabriel Gonzalez (Dance), Nathalie Martinez (Anthropology), Marina Moscoso (Geography), Joseph Obanubi (Art & Design), Sayak Roy (Geography), and Dora Watkins (Social Work).
The Project Theme
“Improvise and Intervene” challenged scholars to reimagine how scholarly theory and methods are taught and practiced, expanding the possibilities for innovation in interdisciplinary, collaborative research design. In their proposal, the faculty conveners wrote, “From anti-colonial intellectuals Aimé and Suzanne Césaire’s surrealist games to Ruthie Gilmore’s reminder that 'abolition is life in rehearsal… not a repetition of rules,' we learn that play and experiment are specific strategies towards imagining and practicing liberation.”
In this project, faculty and students explored texts and creative works that grapple with pressing social issues and the multiple methods used in conducting and presenting research. They also studied different genealogies of improvisation and intervention through reading, listening, and watching, while engaging in weekly improvisatory exercises and responses drawn from surrealism, documentary and neorealism, speculative fiction, theater, music, and other sources.
Timeline and Activities
The group's first summer intensive was held in summer 2023. The 2023–24 academic year was spent learning together, meeting with their special guests, and pursuing their research projects with support from the initiative’s Mellon grant. Bringing together their expertise in a range of areas—including choreography, gaming, geography, social work, studio art, and community organizing—the fellows shared their Interseminars research and experiences throughout the year. Read their reflections on the Inquiry blog. After holding their second intensive seminar in May 2024, the group prepared for and hosted a three-day culminating event series.