CO-SPONSORSHIP: Critical Approaches to Hip-Hop and Religion Unit and Religion and Politics Unit

Potential Co-Sponsorship - Hip Hop, Religion, and Politics - For a possible co-sponsorship with the Religion & Politics Unit, we invite papers that consider the relationship between Hip Hop, Religion and Politics. Potential topic may include but are not limited to:

• the intersectionality of Hip Hop, religion, and politics with special consideration of the emerging diversity of political stances being embraced by hip hop artists
• exploration of the ways Hip Hop can encourage both creative freedom and political freedom. This conversation seems especially fitting given the location of the conference in Boston and other Massachusetts communities that have served as intellectual epicenters for transcendentalism, free thought, and artistic pursuits of all kinds throughout American history. In what ways do the creative impulses of Hip Hop perpetuate the legacy of free thought through the application of musical artistry to reflections on political and social issues?
• the ways Hip Hop address the different meanings of “freedom” in the black and white experiences of American history. Can Hip Hop reframe the American story for minority voices and help us all understand the complexities and ironic costs of “freedom” when some peoples’ ability to enjoy freedom depends on others’ inability to access the benefits of freedom?