FEATURED AUTHOR

Maisha S. Akbar

Associate Professor of Performance Studies
Fort Valley State University

Maisha S. Akbar (Ph.D., University of Texas) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Visual and Performing Arts at Fort Valley State University (GA, USA) where she also directs the Joseph Adkins Players student drama group. Selected to the 2020-2021 IMAN Artists Roster, Dr. Akbar conducts creativity workshops nationally. She has a documentary in pre-production as well as plans to publish her research on performing Black cosplay at an Historically Black College and University (HBCU).

Subjects: Communications Studies, Gender & Intersectionality Studies

Biography

Maisha S. Akbar produced her first cultural performance at the age of 14 and never looked back. Since then, she's carved a path for herself based on her love of reading, culture, and creativity. After graduating high school at 16 years old, she attended Southern University and A&M College (LA) from where she earned a BA in History. Upon completion of her MA in Folklore from the University of California at Berkeley, Akbar went on to earn a Ph.D. in Performance Studies from the University of Texas at Austin.

Education

Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin

Areas of Research / Professional Expertise

Black performance studies, Critical lynching studies, Black feminist studies, communications studies, psychoanalysis.

Personal Interests

Personal development, dance, creative writing, Islamic studies, yoga.

Books

Featured Title

Articles

Is There A Black Acting Method?

Published: Oct 30, 2019 by American Theatre magazine
Authors: Maisha S. Akbar

This article documents a 2019 symposium produced in conjunction with the work of Sharrell D. Luckett and Tia M. Shaffer, and their mentor, Freddie Hendricks, in developing empowering approaches for Black actors.