Alyssa: Hi everyone! My name is Alyssa.
Brendane: And I’m Brendane.
Alyssa: We want to introduce you to our podcast Zora’s Daughters. I’m a rising third year PhD student in cultural anthropology, and you’re probably wondering what’s this all about…
Brendane: Girl, the world simultaneously is and is not ready for us. I’m Brendane, currently a PhD candidate in cultural anthropology —
Alyssa: Yaaas! Can we just talk about how sis advanced to candidacy – wrote and defended her qualifying exam and prospectus – in a whole pandemic? I just want to celebrate you for that.
Brendane: Thank you, thank you. Let’s celebrate you for winning a prestigious fellowship this year! You did that!
Alyssa: Thanks! And honestly – shout out to all of the Black women who are and have always been working, writing, and mentoring under racial duress. I feel like we don’t get the WHO declaring a public health crisis to make that hardship visible.
Brendane: Exactly. And that’s actually what pushed us to create Zora’s Daughters: a space where we can combat the erasure and silencing of Black women’s voices and experiences within and outside of the academy—through discussion and upliftment of each other.
Alyssa: That’s right! So following our forebearer Zora Neale Hurston, the pioneering writer and anthropologist who moved seamlessly between literature and ethnography to chronicle Black life, we’ll be digging deep into social worlds and social issues through the lens of anthropology (Brendane: Black feminist anthropology!) in a way that is compelling and accessible.
Brendane: This is a space for deep conversations, continued learning, and modelling how to act as a critical participant observer of the world. Hopefully, at the end of every episode, you’ll say “Ooh, I never thought of it like that.”
Alyssa: Yep. By taking a close look at some of the things we encounter in our everyday lives, our goal is to spread love and affirmation, and illustrate how thinking like a Black feminist anthropologist can contribute to understanding and changing the world around us.
Brendane: We hope you’ll like it, and we’re all still learning so feel free to make suggestions and leave us comments. If you want to find us on Instagram we’re at zorasdaughters and on Twitter we’re at Zoras underscore Daughters!
Alyssa: We can’t wait for you to join our biweekly conversations. Speak soon!
Brendane: And we remember we must take care of ourselves and each other. Bye!
Listen to the episode everywhere you get your podcasts: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and more!