Literary, Cultural Critic Trudier Harris Joins UA as Visiting Scholar-in-Residence

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Acclaimed literary and cultural critic Dr. Trudier Harris will join The University of Alabama’s English department this month as a visiting scholar-in-residence.    

Harris, a Tuscaloosa native, retired from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in July where she taught for 30 years and was the J. Carlyle Sitterson Professor of English. 

Her visit to UA campus will be from March 29 to April 2. 

Harris will give a campus lecture, “Nightmares of Fear: Edward P. Jones’s Representation in The Known World of Blacks Owning Blacks During Slavery,” on March 31 at 4 p.m. in Gorgas Library, room 205. 

“She’s one of the foremost African-American literary and cultural theorists of the past 20 years,” said Dr. Yolanda Manora, an associate professor in UA’s English department who helped organize Harris’ visit. “The work that she’s done – everything from folklore to Toni Morrison studies – has been critical to conversations about African American literature and culture.” 

Harris will meet with students in classes in the departments of English, American studies, religious studies and gender and race. She will also participate in a colloquium for graduate students in English and Gender and Race Studies. 

Harris has written and edited more than 20 volumes of literature. Her latest book, “The Scary Mason-Dixon Line: African American Writers and the South,” was published in May 2009.  The journal Choice designated it one of the “Outstanding Academic Titles” for 2009 in its “best of the best” listings. Copies of several of her books will be available for sale at her campus lecture. 

Throughout her career, Harris has received numerous awards and honors for teaching and her contributions to literature. 

Harris, who now lives in Tuscaloosa, has previously taught at the College of William and Mary and Emory University. She has lectured throughout the United States, as well as Jamaica, Canada, France, Germany, Poland, Spain, Italy, England, Northern Ireland and South Africa. 

Harris received her bachelor’s degree from Stillman College and her master’s and doctoral degrees from The Ohio State University. 

The department of English is part of UA’s College of Arts and Sciences, the University’s largest division and the largest liberal arts college in the state. Students from the College have won numerous national awards including Rhodes Scholarships, Goldwater Scholarships and memberships on the USA Today Academic All American Team.