Telling Black Histories. With Edna Bonhomme

How does colonial trauma manifest itself today? Jena Samura and Edna Bonhomme talk about the exploitation of Black people and the aftermath of German colonialism.

In the second episode of TELLING BLACK HISTORIES, we explore the aftermath of the transatlantic slave trade and the (sexual) exploitation of Black people during colonialism with historian Edna Bonhomme. Edna deals with the topics of trauma and memory in a variety of ways. How does colonial trauma manifest itself today? What artistic-creative and activist ways does Edna Bonhomme deal with the psychological consequences of colonization and enslavement?

Edna Bonhomme is a historian of science and a writer. Edna Bonhomme earned a PhD in the history of science from Princeton University and a Master of Public Health from Columbia University and a Bachelor’s degree in biology from Reed College. Edna’s doctoral dissertation, titled “Plague Bodies and Spaces,” examined trade, plague, and imperialism in North African port cities. Her master’s thesis explored sexuality, sex work, and HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean. Working with sound, text, and archives, Edna explores contagion, epidemics, and toxicity by asking: what makes people sick? Bonhomme tells how people perceive modern plagues and how they try to escape them through critical storytelling.

SCHIRN PODCASTS

In the podcast series TELLING BLACK HISTORIES on the current exhibition KARA WALKER. A BLACK HOLE IS EVERYTHING A STAR LONGS TO BE, Jena Samura talks with experts including Edna Bonhomme and Josephine Apraku about European art history and Black art, colonial gender constructions, and how to critically reflect on history. On Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Deezer, Google Podcasts, Soundcloud, and the SCHIRN MAGAZINE.