John Drabinski, "So Unimaginable a Price: Baldwin and the Black Atlantic" (Northwestern UP, 2025)

John Drabinski, "So Unimaginable a Price: Baldwin and the Black Atlantic" (Northwestern UP, 2025)

Author: New Books Network February 18, 2026 Duration: 59:04
What happens if we turn to James Baldwin, not just for the amazing quotations and excellent photos, but as a critical theorist? What if we read his nonfiction philosophically? What can Baldwin help us understand and do now? In So Unimaginable a Price: Baldwin and the Black Atlantic (Northwestern UP, 2025), John Drabinski takes up this project to give a sustained philosophical reading of Baldwin’s nonfiction. Drabinski does so to understand the event of Baldwin’s contributions in the context of the Black Atlantic. Baldwin was a thinker who looked to the United States, even when in exile. But he was also in the broader context of the mid-twentieth century Black Atlantic, of which he was surely aware but wrote little—what if we read for what was absent from Baldwin’s texts? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/african-american-studies

Dive into the vibrant and complex world of Black thought, history, and culture with New Books in African American Studies. This podcast, part of the wider New Books Network, functions as a serious but accessible audio library where ideas are explored in depth. Each conversation is a direct line to the latest scholarship, featuring authors in detailed discussion about their recently published books with knowledgeable interviewers. You’ll hear about groundbreaking research that spans centuries and disciplines, from sociology and politics to literature, music, and art, all grounded in the African American experience. The dialogue moves beyond simple summaries, delving into the authors' inspirations, their research processes, and the broader implications of their work for understanding society today. It’s like attending a compelling academic lecture or an insightful conference panel, but from wherever you choose to listen. This channel specifically offers a focused, curated space within the larger network's vast archive, dedicated entirely to these vital conversations. For anyone looking to move past headlines and engage with the substantive ideas shaping contemporary discourse, this podcast provides an invaluable resource. The tone is collegial and engaging, designed to make sophisticated scholarship approachable for students, educators, and lifelong learners alike. Tune in to discover the books and thinkers currently defining the field.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

New Books in African American Studies
Podcast Episodes
David Cunningham on Contesting Confederate Monuments (JP) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:17
David Cunningham joins John to speak about his pathbreaking article about visiting each of the 113 communities that removed or relocated Confederate symbols between 2015 and 2023. After discussing his co-authored Social…
The Instigators [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:42
Black women have always been the most relentless instigators for change—building a democracy for all. In The Instigators: How Black Women Have Been Essential to American Democracy (And What We Can Learn from Them (Harper…