Georgetown Students at the American Comparative Literature Association Annual Conference

Two Georgetown students, Saleema Ibrahim and Emma Walsh, were selected from a large applicant pool from various continents to present papers in the Undergraduate Seminar “Thinking Race in a Comparative Perspective” at the annual (virtual) meeting of the American Comparative Literature Association (April 8-11, 2021). Organized by Professor Nicoletta Pireddu, the seminar addressed social and cultural constructions of racial identity from comparative and interdisciplinary perspectives, focusing on the representations and responses offered by literature, art, media, and the humanities at large.

Saleema Ibrahim (SFS’23) is a sophomore majoring in Culture and Politics with a concentration in Post-Colonial development and a minor in Korean. Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland to Ghanian parents, Saleema has always had a large interest in Pan-Africanism and social justice. After graduating, she hopes to further her education and continue writing on subjects she loves.

Saleema’s paper “Things Have Fallen Apart”  explored the lasting legacy of colonialism in Chinua Achebe’s ​Things Fall Apart​ and Richard Rodriguez’s India.

Emma Walsh (C’21) has just graduated as a Psychology major, with a minor in Italian and Art History. Having grown up in a Brazilian household in New York City, she is particularly attracted by multidisciplinary and cross-cultural research and hopes to further explore these interests in graduate school.

Emma’s paper “An Unnatural History: Afro-Brazilian Female Artists at the Forefront of Changing Narratives about Race” analyzed the works of two Afro-Brazilian female artists–Aline Motta and Rosana Paulino—who confront Brazil’s history of colonialism and slavery, advocating for greater agency for people of color and a more nuanced representation of their humanity.