Danielle Roper

Danielle Roper specializes in contemporary racial and queer performance, racial formation, feminist activism, and visual culture in the Hemispheric Americas. In her book manuscript, tentatively titled Hemispheric Blackface: Impersonation and Racial Formation in the Americas, she works to uncover the function of blackface performance in societies organized around discourses of racial democracy and creole nationalism. The book is a multi-sited study linking blackface performances in the Peruvian Andes, Colombia, Jamaica, and Miami (USA). Through the creation of a parodic archive, the book decenters U.S blackface minstrelsy as paradigmatic of a global form, challenges discourses of “innocent amusement,” and considers the role of parodic performance in societies organized around discourses of mestizaje and racelessness.

Roper is the director of the series “Conversations in Hemispheric Performance” and a co-organizer of the Slavery and Visual Culture Working Group at the University of Chicago. She is also the curator of the virtual exhibition "Visualizing/Performing Blackness in the Afterlives of Slavery: A Caribbean Archive". She is from Kingston, Jamaica.

Q: Why is international collaboration important in your field?

A: Because my research focuses on different research sites, collaborating with people on the ground is crucial for understanding local dynamics. International collaborations are crucial both for getting information and for getting a sense of the cultural nuances of a research site.

Q: How has your work with international partners been beneficial to you and your career, personally?

A: International collaborations have often evolved into longstanding partnerships and friendships. While building these collaborations takes time, their cultural backgrounds and insights force you to question some of the preconceived ideas that shape your research.