SHOW NOTES
This episode explores how the arts serve as a window into issues of race and social justice, and how artists have always been instrumental in helping us understand other cultures and the world at large. Today’s guest is Dr. LaNitra Berger, Senior Director of Fellowships at the Office of Undergraduate Education at George Mason University. A highly-regarded international education leader, LaNitra is known for her work on diversity and social justice issues, for being a tireless champion of fellowships and scholarships for under-represented students that enable them to study abroad, and is the current President of NAFSA, the Association of International Educators. Of most relevance to today’s conversation is that LaNitra is also a scholar of African and African American art history and an author of multiple books. Her most recent book is Irma Stern and the Racial Paradox of South African Modern Art: Audacities of Color.
Episode Themes:
LaNitra’s early influences and how they led to a professional and creative life that fuses international education, the arts, and a commitment to diversity and social justice
The arts as a vehicle for raising social consciousness and awareness of social justice issues
The South African artist, Irma Stern, and how her work and legacy challenges assumptions about race, gender, and religious identity, and why she is often seen as being controversial. South Africa’s multi-racial society in the early-mid 20th Century, and the interactions and power dynamics between different racial and ethnic groups, as also reflected in Stern’s work and other art from that period
LaNitra’s personal 20-year journey of researching and writing her book, and the authors and writers who have influenced her along the way. The relevance and timeliness of her book and how it relates to broader conversations about art, gender, representation, and identity
Why LaNitra’s NAFSA presidency is important at this particular moment in time, and her hopes and aspirations for NAFSA’s future and the field of international education.
Resources:
LaNitra's website: www.lanitraberger.com
LaNitra's recent books: Irma Stern and the Racial Paradox of South African Modern Art: Audacities of Color and Social Justice and International Education
Be sure to check out these other resources!
My book: America Calling: A Foreign Student in a Country of Possibility
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