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Mark Anthony Neal

James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of African and African American Studies
African & African American Studies
Box 90252, Durham, NC 27708-0252
Science Building, 243F, Durham, NC 27708

Overview


Mark Anthony Neal is the James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of African & African American Studies and Chair of the Department of African & African American Studies at Duke University where he offers courses on Black Masculinity, Popular Culture, and Digital Humanities, including signature courses on Michael Jackson & the Black Performance Tradition, and The History of Hip-Hop, which he co-teaches with Grammy Award Winning producer 9th Wonder (Patrick Douthit).

He is the author of several books including What the Music Said: Black Popular Music and Black Public Culture (1999), Soul Babies: Black Popular Culture and the Post-Soul Aesthetic (2002) and Looking for Leroy: Illegible Black Masculinities (2013).  The 10th Anniversary edition of Neal’s New Black Man was published in February of 2015 by Routledge. Neal is co-editor of That's the Joint: The Hip-Hop Studies Reader (Routledge), now in its second edition. Additionally Neal host of the video webcast Left of Black, which is produced in collaboration with the Franklin Humanities Institute at Duke. You can follow him on Twitter at @NewBlackMan and IG at @BookerBBBrown

Current Appointments & Affiliations


James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of African and African American Studies · 2018 - Present African & African American Studies, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Professor of African and African American Studies · 2007 - Present African & African American Studies, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Chair in the Department of African and African American Studies · 2022 - Present African & African American Studies, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Professor of English · 2016 - Present English, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences

In the News


Published November 7, 2024
‘Left of Black’ Video Series Wins Gold Davey Award
Published September 20, 2024
Acclaimed ‘Left of Black’ Web Series Starts 15th Year
Published April 15, 2024
Poet Camille Dungy, April 18: A Reading at Duke Gardens

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Recent Publications


“Nearer to Thee”: The Still Evolving Legacy and Politics of Sam Cooke

Other Medium · December 11, 2024 The records that Cooke makes with The Soul Stirrers from 1955 until his departure in 1957, is a masterclass in a genre of singing — Soul Singing — that had yet to be fully formulated. ... Link to item Cite

The Other Three-Album Run that Defined Quincy Jones' Black Pop Sound

Other LEVEL Magazine · November 15, 2024 George Benson, James Ingram, and Michael Jackson sparked a movement like no other. ... Link to item Cite

How Frankie Beverly Built a Band for Black America

Other LEVEL Magazine · September 15, 2024 While Grateful Dead disciples were looking for music to accompany the purple haze, most of Frankie Beverly’s fans were simply seeking good times and togetherness ... Link to item Cite
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Education, Training & Certifications


State University of New York, Buffalo · 1996 Ph.D.
State University of New York, Fredonia · 1993 M.A.
State University of New York, Fredonia · 1987 B.A.