lecture notes

• Who is this lecture dedicated to?

  Julian Karim
• What topic did the speaker stumble upon during their postgraduate studies?

  Race and early modern cosmetic practices
• How did the speaker's thesis relate to Shakespeare?

  It explored cosmetics and beauty politics
• What was Kim F. Hall's argument regarding whiteness?

  Whiteness is a racial category too
• What did Hall show about race and gender in early modern literature?

  They were inextricably linked in beauty literature
• Which poets' works did Hall analyze in relation to beauty?

  Edmund Spencer and Sir Philip Sidney
• What did Hall identify in the language of race?


  A distinct language creating racial dynamics
• What did Margot Hendricks refer to in her 2000 essay?

  Epistemology of race in the pre-modern era
• What was the speaker's initial focus for their thesis?

  Racial formation tied to beauty and cosmetics
• What was the response of the speaker's first supervisor regarding race?

  Race is anachronistic and lacks merit
• How did the speaker feel after being told their thesis topic was a dead end?

  They felt shot down and insecure
• What did Hendricks say about the intellectual tradition in her 2000 essay?

  We are inheritors of a critical tradition
• What does the speaker suggest about the representation of scholars of color?

  It is largely absent in Shakespeare studies
• What does Vanessa Coradera argue about early modern studies and race?

  Ignoring race entrenches white privilege
• What advice does the speaker give to postgraduates?

  Follow research and instincts for knowledge
• What does the speaker identify as a manifestation of academic gatekeeping?

  Discouragement of race and identity inquiries
• What does the speaker mean by "strategically anachronistic"?

  Approaching race in a historical context
• What are the two big questions raised by the speaker?

  Who does Shakespeare belong to and who decides legitimacy?
• How is the term "woke" used in the context of Shakespeare?

  As a critique of political correctness
• What does the speaker say about the appropriation of the term "woke"?

  It creates fear and can lead to legislation
• What historical context does the speaker provide for the term "woke"?

  Originated from African-American activism
• What did the speaker receive from an angry member of the public?

  A letter criticizing their approach to Shakespeare
• How did the speaker describe the public's perception of making Shakespeare accessible?

  Seen as an act of destruction
• What was the response to the anti-racist webinars launched by Shakespeare's Globe?

  Critics deemed them simplistic and a sideshow
• What do defenders of Shakespeare argue about race-related language?

  It does not necessarily indicate race
• What do Kim Coles, Kim Hall, and Ayanna Thompson argue about language and colonialism?

  They are tightly interwoven in literature
• What does the speaker suggest about Shakespeare's works and racial division?

  They reflect ongoing racial divisions today
• What critical approaches to Shakespeare have emerged over the years?

  Marxist critiques, feminist approaches, and more
• What does the speaker say about the critical heritage of Shakespeare and race?

  It dates back decades but is often ignored
• What initiatives did the speaker introduce at Shakespeare's Globe?

  Shakespeare and race discussions and festivals
• How did the pandemic and George Floyd's murder impact the speaker's initiatives?

  Made the discussions on race more vital
• What risks does the speaker mention regarding non-traditional approaches to Shakespeare?

  Assumed to endanger or cancel Shakespeare
• What does the speaker assert about the idea of canceling Shakespeare?

  It is not happening through discussions of race
• What does the speaker hope to end regarding Shakespeare's Globe?

  The suggestion of canceling Shakespeare
• What does the speaker suggest about discussing race in academia?

  It often leads to conflict and resistance
• What does the speaker plan to explore in the rest of the talk?

  Shakespeare, race, and performance in three sections
• What does Ayanna Thompson address in the Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare and Race?

  The existence of race in Shakespeare's time
• What does the Oxford English Dictionary say about the historical meaning of race?

  It referred to lineage and common ancestry
• When did European anthropologists classify human differences?

  In the 18th and 19th centuries
• What does the speaker imply about the application of modern concepts to early texts?

  It raises the anachronism question