Ain’t I a Diva? Kevin Allred

In 2010, Professor Kevin Allred created the university course ‘Politicizing Beyonce’ to both wide acclaim and controversy. He outlines his pedagogical philosophy in Ain’t I a Diva?, exploring what it means to build a syllabus around a celebrity. Topics range from a capitalist critique of ‘Run the World (Girls)’ to the politics of self-care found in ‘Flawless’; Beyonce’s art is read alongside black feminist thinkers including Kimberle Crenshaw, Octavia Butler, and Sojourner Truth. Combining analysis with classroom anecdotes, Allred attests that pop culture is so much more than a guilty pleasure, it’s an access pointfor education, entertainment, critical inquiry, and politics.