Amanda Marie Martinez
@amamartinez.bsky.social
Assistant Professor of American Studies at UNC. UCLA PhD. Views my own.
https://www.amandamariemartinez.com
https://www.amandamariemartinez.com
Pinned
My country music issue of @scquarterly.bsky.social is out! I'm proud of how it's come together. Thank you to the wide range of contributors, including musicians and scholars and artists, and of course the dream team editorial crew at SC who make creative freedom a reality.
Reposted by Amanda Marie Martinez
This is a travesty. African and African Diaspora Studies at UT Austin has been one of the best programs in the country. And for historical context, this is explicitly about reversing the gains of student movements in the 60s and 70s.
www.statesman.com/news/educati...
www.statesman.com/news/educati...
UT to consolidate gender and ethnic studies programs into one new department
Affected departments include those that focus on African and African Diaspora Studies, Mexican American Studies, Women and Gender Studies and American Studies.
www.statesman.com
February 12, 2026 at 6:26 PM
This is a travesty. African and African Diaspora Studies at UT Austin has been one of the best programs in the country. And for historical context, this is explicitly about reversing the gains of student movements in the 60s and 70s.
www.statesman.com/news/educati...
www.statesman.com/news/educati...
I understand if my critique seems misguided, but this Ella Langley single is one of the most unimaginative country songs I’ve ever heard. I remain unsure if EL knows who she is as an artist. Choosin’ Texas is a good song, but I’m not convinced that wasn’t solely bc it’s co-written by Miranda Lambert
February 11, 2026 at 3:22 PM
I understand if my critique seems misguided, but this Ella Langley single is one of the most unimaginative country songs I’ve ever heard. I remain unsure if EL knows who she is as an artist. Choosin’ Texas is a good song, but I’m not convinced that wasn’t solely bc it’s co-written by Miranda Lambert
“Livin la Vida Loca” is one of the most egregious examples ever of a song built for the white gaze. What a move to hand Ricky Martin the mic to breakdown the impacts of colonialism. As recently as 1999 being a “Latin” artist meant having to whitewash to fit stereotypes. BB says no!
February 9, 2026 at 4:15 PM
“Livin la Vida Loca” is one of the most egregious examples ever of a song built for the white gaze. What a move to hand Ricky Martin the mic to breakdown the impacts of colonialism. As recently as 1999 being a “Latin” artist meant having to whitewash to fit stereotypes. BB says no!
Check out the issue here: www.southerncultures.org/issues/count...
Country Music’s Mythology
Country music is as mythologized as the region with which it’s most closely associated, and it remains one of the South’s biggest cultural signifiers.
www.southerncultures.org
February 7, 2026 at 3:58 PM
Check out the issue here: www.southerncultures.org/issues/count...
My country music issue of @scquarterly.bsky.social is out! I'm proud of how it's come together. Thank you to the wide range of contributors, including musicians and scholars and artists, and of course the dream team editorial crew at SC who make creative freedom a reality.
February 7, 2026 at 3:58 PM
My country music issue of @scquarterly.bsky.social is out! I'm proud of how it's come together. Thank you to the wide range of contributors, including musicians and scholars and artists, and of course the dream team editorial crew at SC who make creative freedom a reality.
For instance, Kris Kristofferson was not a “good” singer, but no one denies he is one of the greats. Riley Green recently said something along the lines of “I’m not the best at singing…I don’t sing, I just talk with my exact voice and It sounds like singing.”
November 20, 2025 at 2:00 PM
For instance, Kris Kristofferson was not a “good” singer, but no one denies he is one of the greats. Riley Green recently said something along the lines of “I’m not the best at singing…I don’t sing, I just talk with my exact voice and It sounds like singing.”
You don’t have to be a good singer to be a good country artist, could name many examples. Agree she sounded not great, she should have lip-synched as others did last night.
November 20, 2025 at 1:07 PM
You don’t have to be a good singer to be a good country artist, could name many examples. Agree she sounded not great, she should have lip-synched as others did last night.
Reposted by Amanda Marie Martinez
UPDATE: The Indiana legislature announced that, across the state's public universities, it will immediately eliminate 75 programs, suspend/teach-out 101, and force 232 to consolidate or be eliminated. Not surprisingly, these closures disproportionately affect arts, humanities, and social science.
July 1, 2025 at 12:02 AM
UPDATE: The Indiana legislature announced that, across the state's public universities, it will immediately eliminate 75 programs, suspend/teach-out 101, and force 232 to consolidate or be eliminated. Not surprisingly, these closures disproportionately affect arts, humanities, and social science.
Seeing it for the second time in a few!
May 3, 2025 at 9:36 PM
Seeing it for the second time in a few!
Blown away by Sinners and still processing. This is an excellent movie syllabus but would def add Roediger etc. for the Irish component.
www.aaihs.org/the-sinners-...
www.aaihs.org/the-sinners-...
The ‘Sinners’ Movie Syllabus - AAIHS
The 'Sinners' Movie Syllabus is a curated educational resource inspired by the 2025 film 'Sinners,' directed by Ryan Coogler. This syllabus delves into the multifaceted historical, cultural, and socia...
www.aaihs.org
May 3, 2025 at 3:28 AM
Blown away by Sinners and still processing. This is an excellent movie syllabus but would def add Roediger etc. for the Irish component.
www.aaihs.org/the-sinners-...
www.aaihs.org/the-sinners-...
Great to hear and so well deserved! Hope to see you at ICMC 🤠
April 23, 2025 at 11:22 PM
Great to hear and so well deserved! Hope to see you at ICMC 🤠
Reposted by Amanda Marie Martinez
"At the same time, his administration has elevated candidates with scant qualifications to positions of power across the federal bureaucracy...That this is all being done in the name of “merit-based opportunity,” as Trump’s executive order put it, is patently absurd."
slate.com/news-and-pol...
slate.com/news-and-pol...
Trump’s DEI Crackdown Is a Smokescreen for Something Much More Sinister
It’s an attack on labor. But he can frame it as something else.
slate.com
March 26, 2025 at 1:49 PM
"At the same time, his administration has elevated candidates with scant qualifications to positions of power across the federal bureaucracy...That this is all being done in the name of “merit-based opportunity,” as Trump’s executive order put it, is patently absurd."
slate.com/news-and-pol...
slate.com/news-and-pol...
Reposted by Amanda Marie Martinez
And @amamartinez.bsky.social wraps up the panel with ““My Own Kind of Hat”: Headwear and Country Music’s Evolving Class Politics” #PopCon2025
March 14, 2025 at 12:00 AM
And @amamartinez.bsky.social wraps up the panel with ““My Own Kind of Hat”: Headwear and Country Music’s Evolving Class Politics” #PopCon2025
Reposted by Amanda Marie Martinez
Black Studies and the Fight Against Fascism
Join us for a timely conversation with @davarianbaldwin.bsky.social, @jfernandez1202.bsky.social, Sarah Haley, Robin D.G. Kelley, Barbara Ransby, & Robyn Spencer-Antoine
Tuesday, March 4 at 6:00 pm ET
RSVP to attend: www.tickettailor.com/events/hayma...
Join us for a timely conversation with @davarianbaldwin.bsky.social, @jfernandez1202.bsky.social, Sarah Haley, Robin D.G. Kelley, Barbara Ransby, & Robyn Spencer-Antoine
Tuesday, March 4 at 6:00 pm ET
RSVP to attend: www.tickettailor.com/events/hayma...
February 28, 2025 at 6:51 PM
Black Studies and the Fight Against Fascism
Join us for a timely conversation with @davarianbaldwin.bsky.social, @jfernandez1202.bsky.social, Sarah Haley, Robin D.G. Kelley, Barbara Ransby, & Robyn Spencer-Antoine
Tuesday, March 4 at 6:00 pm ET
RSVP to attend: www.tickettailor.com/events/hayma...
Join us for a timely conversation with @davarianbaldwin.bsky.social, @jfernandez1202.bsky.social, Sarah Haley, Robin D.G. Kelley, Barbara Ransby, & Robyn Spencer-Antoine
Tuesday, March 4 at 6:00 pm ET
RSVP to attend: www.tickettailor.com/events/hayma...
As does yours! Lots of good stuff on the first day. And then yes we can just sit back and enjoy!
February 19, 2025 at 11:33 PM
As does yours! Lots of good stuff on the first day. And then yes we can just sit back and enjoy!
The schedule looks amazing!
February 19, 2025 at 11:26 PM
The schedule looks amazing!
Thanks, Alyx!
February 19, 2025 at 4:53 PM
Thanks, Alyx!
This fall I’ll begin a tenure track Assistant Professor position in the Dept of American Studies at UNC, where my postdoc’s been since last year. Can’t imagine a better academic home. It’s been a long road of luck, community, & hard work to get here & I couldn’t be more grateful.
February 19, 2025 at 3:00 PM
This fall I’ll begin a tenure track Assistant Professor position in the Dept of American Studies at UNC, where my postdoc’s been since last year. Can’t imagine a better academic home. It’s been a long road of luck, community, & hard work to get here & I couldn’t be more grateful.
Trump follows a long line of conservatives who’ve co-opted country music, identifying its listeners as his voters. Like most of his predecessors, there’s little evidence he had an organic interest in the music. Many country stars have already been happy to play into his interest, as seen w the inaug
President Trump purged the bipartisan Kennedy Center board of Biden appointees, fired the center’s president and made himself the new chairman last week. So what will he do with an institution central to Washington’s cultural life? One expectation: more country music.
Trump’s Revenge Now Includes His Takeover of the Kennedy Center
What will a thin-skinned showman do with an institution central to Washington’s cultural life? One expectation is more country music.
www.nytimes.com
February 18, 2025 at 10:26 PM
Trump follows a long line of conservatives who’ve co-opted country music, identifying its listeners as his voters. Like most of his predecessors, there’s little evidence he had an organic interest in the music. Many country stars have already been happy to play into his interest, as seen w the inaug
I’ll also use this chance to bump this excellent profile on Amythyst Kiah from @jewlyhight.bsky.social
www.nytimes.com/2021/06/14/a...
www.nytimes.com/2021/06/14/a...
Amythyst Kiah Found Her Powerful Voice. Now She Has a Sound to Match It. (Published 2021)
The 34-year-old singer and songwriter fuses folk, blues, rock and once-hidden emotion on her new album, “Wary + Strange.”
www.nytimes.com
February 10, 2025 at 5:00 PM
I’ll also use this chance to bump this excellent profile on Amythyst Kiah from @jewlyhight.bsky.social
www.nytimes.com/2021/06/14/a...
www.nytimes.com/2021/06/14/a...
Right?? It will be a great few days!
February 10, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Right?? It will be a great few days!
Next week in Chapel Hill we’ll celebrate the Southern Folklife Collection w exciting events, a couple of which I’ll be a part of.
On 2/20, David Garcia & I will be in conversation w Amythyst Kiah
On 2/22, Jewly Hight, Jocelyn Neal, & I will have a panel on commercial country music
Join us!
On 2/20, David Garcia & I will be in conversation w Amythyst Kiah
On 2/22, Jewly Hight, Jocelyn Neal, & I will have a panel on commercial country music
Join us!
February 10, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Next week in Chapel Hill we’ll celebrate the Southern Folklife Collection w exciting events, a couple of which I’ll be a part of.
On 2/20, David Garcia & I will be in conversation w Amythyst Kiah
On 2/22, Jewly Hight, Jocelyn Neal, & I will have a panel on commercial country music
Join us!
On 2/20, David Garcia & I will be in conversation w Amythyst Kiah
On 2/22, Jewly Hight, Jocelyn Neal, & I will have a panel on commercial country music
Join us!
An American flag built on the backs of Black people...
Black music protesting white political terror in registers they never hear; reminiscent of ancestral spirituals embedded with instructions for runaways
All this in New Orleans... What a moment
Black music protesting white political terror in registers they never hear; reminiscent of ancestral spirituals embedded with instructions for runaways
All this in New Orleans... What a moment
February 10, 2025 at 2:45 AM
Reposted by Amanda Marie Martinez
Corporate Coup in Global Context
Join @naomiaklein.bsky.social, @chenjerai.bsky.social, @astra.bsky.social, & @keeanga.bsky.social for an emergency town hall on the accelerating corporate dominance of our societies
Mon., Feb. 17 at 5:00 pm ET
RSVP to attend: www.tickettailor.com/events/hayma...
Join @naomiaklein.bsky.social, @chenjerai.bsky.social, @astra.bsky.social, & @keeanga.bsky.social for an emergency town hall on the accelerating corporate dominance of our societies
Mon., Feb. 17 at 5:00 pm ET
RSVP to attend: www.tickettailor.com/events/hayma...
February 8, 2025 at 2:31 PM
Corporate Coup in Global Context
Join @naomiaklein.bsky.social, @chenjerai.bsky.social, @astra.bsky.social, & @keeanga.bsky.social for an emergency town hall on the accelerating corporate dominance of our societies
Mon., Feb. 17 at 5:00 pm ET
RSVP to attend: www.tickettailor.com/events/hayma...
Join @naomiaklein.bsky.social, @chenjerai.bsky.social, @astra.bsky.social, & @keeanga.bsky.social for an emergency town hall on the accelerating corporate dominance of our societies
Mon., Feb. 17 at 5:00 pm ET
RSVP to attend: www.tickettailor.com/events/hayma...