从黑人艺术运动到美国非裔戏剧研究——詹姆斯·爱德华·斯梅瑟斯教授访谈录

From Black Arts Movement to African American Drama:An Interview with Professor James E. Smethurst

詹姆斯·爱德华·斯梅瑟斯(James E.Smethurst)是马萨诸塞大学艾默斯特分校W.E.B.杜波依斯美国非裔研究系教授,研究生项目主任。他曾先后就读于南缅因大学、纽约城市大学和哈佛大学,分别获得英语专业学士、硕士和博士学位。毕业后他曾在北佛罗里达州大学任教。詹姆斯·爱德华·斯梅瑟斯教授的主要研究领域包括美国非裔文学和文化、19世纪晚期到20世纪晚期美国非裔思想史,研究重点为黑人文化和政治激进主义。受《山东外语教学》编辑部的委托,笔者有幸对詹姆斯·爱德华·斯梅瑟斯教授进行了采访。访谈中,他结合自己的求学经历,介绍了自己学术研究方向的选择历程。同时,他还就黑人艺术运动及其影响、黑人艺术、阿米力·巴拉卡研究、美国非裔戏剧研究等话题阐述了自己的观点。此外,斯梅瑟斯教授还对中国学者的美国非裔戏剧研究提出了建议。在治学方面,他建议中国学者切忌盲目追风,一定要遵循自己的兴趣开展研究。

James E.Smethurst is a professor and the graduate program director of W.E.B.Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies of University of Massachusetts Amherst.James Smethurst received his B.A.in English from the University of Southern Maine,his M.A.in English from the City College of New York,and his Ph.D.in English from Harvard University.Prior to coming to the University of Massachusetts Amherst,he taught at the University of North Florida.His primary research areas are African American literature,culture,and intellectual history from the late 19 th to the late 20 th centuries,with a particular emphasis on black culture and political radicalism.Entrusted by the editorial board of Shandong Foreign Language Teaching,I am honored to have opportunity to interview Professor James E.Smethurst.During the interview,he shared his experience of chosing his academic focus.He also analyzed the Black Arts Movement and its influence,black art,the study of Amiri Baraka,and African American drama studies.Additionally,Professor Smethurst put forward some suggestions to Chinese scholars on the study of African American drama.In terms of academic studies,he suggested that Chinese scholars should avoid following trend blindly and follow what interests them.