Black Banjo Bodylands: (Co-)Constructions of a Musical Instrument

About

Joe Johnson’s presentation theorizes the banjo as a Black diasporic site of ritual, memory, and ancestral resistance. Mobilizing Ana Maurine Laura’s concept of “Bodylands,” this presentation examines the (co-)constructions of banjos and the Black bodies who activate them as ancestral technology. It highlights how Black practitioners claim the instrument through spiritual, material, and organizational practices by tracing the banjo’s trajectory from its 17th-century Caribbean manifestations to its resurgence following the Grammy-winning success of the Black string band the Carolina Chocolate Drops. Johnson’s work confronts many popular views of the banjo, which represent it as an instrument of mainly white bluegrass and country musicians. Grounded in oral history, participant observation, and performance, Johnson’s research explores the banjo’s enduring role in Black cultural life beyond its whitewashed image.

Joe Zavaan Johnson is a multi-instrumentalist, arts educator, and Black music researcher. He is an Ethnomusicology Ph.D. Candidate at Indiana University-Bloomington where he is completing a dissertation that examines the Black banjo renaissance through the lenses of Black studies, human geography, folklore, and ethnomusicology. Johnson frequently collaborates with grassroots organizations focused on coalition building, community healing, and cultural reparations.

The Botkin Lecture Series is part of AFC’s ongoing public programming activities highlighting the fields…

Archive

Library of Congress, in Library of Congress: talks and concerts

Licence or status

Rights statement at the Library of Congress, as the Library of Congress states it.

Credit

Library of Congress

Language

English

Country

United States

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