Publishers: Duke University Press

About this publisher’s catalog

This catalog offers a focused exploration of cultural, social, and political histories with an emphasis on identity and power structures. Readers can expect deeply researched works that blend critical theory with historical and biographical narratives. The range covers diverse geographies and communities, inviting engagement with complex social dynamics.

What you’ll often find

  • Studies of race, ethnicity, and diasporic identities in historical and contemporary contexts
  • Critical examinations of gender, sexuality, and queer experiences through social science and theory
  • Biographical and autobiographical accounts illuminating political activism and cultural movements
  • Analyses of music, performance, and cultural expression as forms of social critique
  • Investigations into political ideologies and their impact on marginalized communities
  • Interdisciplinary approaches combining history, anthropology, and literary criticism
  • Focus on 20th-century and modern social transformations across various regions

How to browse this shelf

  • Begin by exploring topics related to identity and power to find thematic clusters
  • Look for works that combine historical narrative with critical theory for layered perspectives
  • Seek out biographies and memoirs for personal insights into political and cultural struggles
  • Use subject tags like music, performance, or political ideology to narrow focus
  • Try grouping books by geographic or cultural region to understand localized histories
  • Distinguish between more theoretical texts and those grounded in ethnographic or archival research
  • Consider the time period emphasized to track social change across decades

Good fit if you like

  • Thoughtful, nuanced explorations of identity and social justice issues
  • Interdisciplinary works that blend academic rigor with narrative elements
  • Engagement with cultural histories that highlight marginalized voices
  • Critical perspectives on gender, sexuality, and political activism
  • Books that challenge conventional historical narratives through theory and lived experience
  • Slow-paced, reflective reading that values depth over breadth

Generated from the books currently available in this catalog.

  • Brutalism — Achille Mbembe

    Brutalism — Achille Mbembe

  • Planetary Longings — Mary Louise Pratt

    Planetary Longings — Mary Louise Pratt

  • Speaking for the People Native Writing and the Question of Political Form — Mark Rifkin

    Speaking for the People Native Writing and the Question of Political Form — Mark Rifkin

  • Decolonizing Dialectics — Geo Maher

    Decolonizing Dialectics — Geo Maher

  • Archiveology Walter Benjamin and Archival Film Practices — Catherine Russell

    Archiveology Walter Benjamin and Archival Film Practices — Catherine Russell

  • The Human in Bits Graphical Computers, Black Abstractions — Kris Cohen

    The Human in Bits Graphical Computers, Black Abstractions — Kris Cohen

  • Gone Gone — Todd Meyers

    Gone Gone — Todd Meyers

  • Expansive Trajectories Re-Mapping Transnationalism in the Global China Era — Fran Martin

    Expansive Trajectories Re-Mapping Transnationalism in the Global China Era — Fran Martin

  • The Life and Times of Louis Lomax The Art of Deliberate Disunity — Thomas Aiello

    The Life and Times of Louis Lomax The Art of Deliberate Disunity — Thomas Aiello

  • Bondmen and Rebels A Study of Master-Slave Relations in Antigua — David Barry Gaspar

    Bondmen and Rebels A Study of Master-Slave Relations in Antigua — David Barry Gaspar

  • Normal Life Administrative Violence, Critical Trans Politics, and the Limits of Law — Dean Spade

    Normal Life Administrative Violence, Critical Trans Politics, and the Limits of Law — Dean Spade

  • The End of Concern Maoist China, Activism, and Asian Studies — Fabio Lanza

    The End of Concern Maoist China, Activism, and Asian Studies — Fabio Lanza

  • Feminism and the Cinema of Experience — Lori Jo Marso

    Feminism and the Cinema of Experience — Lori Jo Marso

  • Black Utopias Speculative Life and the Music of Other Worlds — Jayna Brown

    Black Utopias Speculative Life and the Music of Other Worlds — Jayna Brown

  • Third World Studies Theorizing Liberation — Gary Y. Okihiro

    Third World Studies Theorizing Liberation — Gary Y. Okihiro

  • Gestures of Concern — Chris Ingraham

    Gestures of Concern — Chris Ingraham

  • American Empire and the Politics of Meaning Elite Political Cultures in the Philippines and Puerto Rico During U.S. Colonialism — Julian Go

    American Empire and the Politics of Meaning Elite Political Cultures in the Philippines and Puerto Rico During U.S. Colonialism — Julian Go