Rude Girl: My Life on Both Sides of the Atlantic (A Guest Lecture by Prof. Priscilla Layne)
On April 3, students and faculty of the Department of German and Russian at Wake Forest University had the chance to meet and engage with the eminent scholar Priscilla Layne. A Professor of German, Adjunct Associate Professor of African and Afro-American Studies, and the Director of the Center for European Studies at the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill), Layne is expert on matters concerning the representation of Blackness in German culture as well as related subjects in the fields of postcolonial studies, gender studies, and critical race theory. The author of three books—White Rebels in Black: German Appropriation of Black Popular Culture (University of Michigan Press, 2018), The Marriage of Maria Braun (Camden House, 2024), Out of this World: Afro-German Afrofuturism (Northwestern University Press, 2024)—Layne is able to offer innovative and critical perspectives on highly contemporary and controversial topics like race and racism in Germany and their study in higher education.
During her visit, Layne spoke about these themes and much more. Ending with a talk about her recent graphic memoir, Rude Girl (English Version, V&Q Books, 2024), drawn by and produced with German graphic novelist Birgit Weyhe, her time at Wake Forest included meeting faculty who specialize in graphic novels and design (Ebony Flowers and Derek Lee), holding a discussion with undergraduate students in Matthew Childs’s course “The Measure of Man: Race/ism and Germany,” and having coffee with German majors and minors. Her talk centered on the development and aesthetic decisions that contributed to her graphic memoir as well as her collaboration with Weyhe following a chance interview in Berlin. Layne’s unique backstory as the daughter of Caribbean migrants to the United States and Weyhe’s transnational experience growing up in Kenya complemented each other exceedingly well, which, when coupled with a feminist approach to representation, allowed for a fruitful partnership. Audience members learned about a creative approach to talking about race, migration, and even Left-Wing skinheads! Layne’s talk was followed by an engaging question and answer session.
This event received generous support from the following sponsors: the Humanities Institute, Wake the Arts, the Department of English, Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS), the Dean’s Office, and the Department of German and Russian. Our thanks to all those involved for their support.
If you missed the event, good news! The lecture and Q&A were recorded for digital access. To watch the video, click on the following link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vcJVP0CApSfvtU6vGntxMQUoChMC-lpZ/view?usp=drive_link
. If you experience any problems, please do not hesitate to contact Dr. Matthew Childs (childsm@wfu.edu).