Y’All! Listening to Divas

The diva is a central figure in the landscape of contemporary popular culture: gossip-generating, scandal-courting, paparazzi-stalked. And yet the diva is at the epicentre of creative endeavours that resonate with contemporary feminist ideas, kick back against diminished social expectations, boldly call-out casual sexism and industry misogyny and, in terms of pop and hip-hop, explore intersectional oppressions and unapologetically celebrate non-white cultural heritages.

The editors and contributors to a new book, Diva: Feminism and Fierceness from Pop to Hip-Hop (Bloomsbury Academic), will explore the importance of the diva in the post-millennium cultural landscape. Speakers include Dr. Kirsty Fairclough (Professor of Screen Studies, School of Digital Arts, Manchester Metropolitan University), Dr. Benjamin Halligan (Director of the Doctoral College, University of Wolverhampton), Dr. Nicole Hodges Persley (Professor of American Studies, and African & African American Studies at the University of Kansas), Dr. Shara Rambarran (Senior Lecturer in Music, Business and Media Studies at the University of Brighton), and Harriet Reed (V&A Curator of Contemporary Performance).