Michelle Smith is an assistant professor of Political Theory. She
received her Ph.D. from Cornell University in 2009. Her research
interests are located in the field of contemporary democratic theory,
with a focus on race and racism and the effects of identity-thinking on
democratic practice. Dr. Smith’s dissertation, Alain Locke: Culture and
the Plurality of Black Life, investigates the writings of early 20th
century black philosopher and social critic Alain Locke. She argues
that Locke’s criticism of art is worthy of political theoretical
exploration precisely because it refused to see black artwork used to
justify black participation in public life. Her work links
representations of black plurality to black autonomy by insisting on an
interpretation of black expression that exceeds the expectations of
‘race thinking’ and identity.
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