Donna Daniels (Assistant Professor/Cultural Anthropology). Professor Daniels's work is focused on the theorization and conceptualization of social identity, cultural belief and practice, and cultural process in the African Diaspora. Her research and writing call attention to the complex cultural dimensions within the Diaspora as they affect religion and spirituality, popular culture, cultural theory, and urban anthropology. She is currently writing a book on the contemporary practice of African based religion among African-American women and Latinos in the San Francisco Bay area. At Duke, her courses include "Considering Identity" and "Religions of the African Diaspora."

Chouki El Hamel (Assistant Professor of the Practice/History). Dr. El Hamel's work at the Centre de Recherché Africaines (Paris) concentrated on precolonial African History, and his interests have focused on the spread and growth of Islamic culture and the evolution of Islamic institutions in Africa. He currently has a book-in-progress concerning intellectual life in precolonial Islamic West Africa. His scholarship on modern Africa focuses on the clash of cultures, the Islamic movement in Africa, and domestic slavery in Africa. Professor El Hamel's courses include "History of Africa" and "Islam in Africa."

Paula J. Giddings (Research Professor/Women's Studies). A Guggenheim scholar, Professor Giddings is the author of renowned books on the social and political history of African-American women: When and Where I Enter: The Impact of Black Women on Race and Sex in America (1985) and In Search of Sisterhood: Delta Sigma Theta and the Challenge of the Black Sorority Movement (1988). Currently, she is writing a biography of the legendary crusader, Ida B. Wells. During her career, Professor Giddings has written for The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Jeune Africa, The Nation, and Sage: A Scholarly Journal on Black Women. At Duke, Professor Giddings's courses include "Race, Gender and Social Theory" and "Black Women of the Civil Rights Movement."

Karla FC Holloway (William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of English and African-American Literature and Director of the African & African-American Studies Program). Professor Holloway is the author of four books, most recently: Codes of Conduct: Race, Ethics, and the Color of Our Character (1995). She has published numerous articles and book chapters on literature, language, and cultural studies. Her current work-in-progress is titled: Passed On: African-American Mourning Stories. Professor Holloway's courses include "Diaspora Literacy: Black Women Novelists of the Third World," "Black Literary Theory," "Race, Sex, and National Identity," and courses in 20th century African-American literature.

Wahneema H. Lubiano (Associate Professor/Literature). Prior to joining Duke's faculty in 1996, Professor Lubiano had taught at Williams College, the University of Texas (Austin) and, most recently, Princeton University where she convened the 1994 conference, "Race Matters." She is the editor of The House That Race Built: Black Americans, U.S. Terrain (1997), and author of the forthcoming books: Messing with the Machine: Politics, Form and African-American Fiction, and Like Being Mugged by a Metaphor: "Deep Cover" and Other "Black" Fictions. Her research interests include African-American literature, African-American popular culture and film, and women's studies. Professor Lubiano teaches "Black Nationalism," "Black American Narratives," and "Black Intellectual History."

Vonnie C. McLoyd (Professor/Psychology). Dr. McLoyd's research interests concern parental influences on children's socio-emotional development. She has published articles, book chapters, and edited volumes focusing on poverty, economic stress, and children's development. Professor McLoyd has been Associate Editor of the Journal of Child Development and has served as co-Director of a Fogarty Minority International Research Training Program at the University of Michigan. In 1996, Professor McLoyd was a recipient of a MacArthur Foundation Award. Her courses at Duke include "Minority Mental Health Issues" and "Childhood and Poverty."