Do Afrofuturist heroes in twenty-first century fictional medialisations adopt, adapt or challenge meritocratic ideas, which are often complicit with a Eurocentric tradition of thought? This project, which investigates conceptualisations and representations of heroes against the backdrop of meritocratic narratives is informed by Afrofuturist traditions, but firmly located in the twenty-first century, which has seen an unprecedented revival of Afrofuturist narratives that tend to project heroic protagonists; it investigates (tensions inherent in) Afrofuturist visual and writing practices from the African continent and across the African diaspora.
Researcher: Josephine Ofei
Guest researcher (summer 2025): Elisabeth Abena Osei (University of Maryland)
