Language and Culture with Dr. Kendra Calhoun

That Anthro Podcast

Introducing UC Santa Barbara alum and current UCLA postdoc Dr. Kendra Calhoun!

Kendra is a sociocultural linguist who has broad research interests and experiences but her current projects are focused on African American language and culture in new media forms, such as TikTok. She did her graduate education at UCSB under Dr. Bucholtz, before pursuing post doctoral studies at UCLA. She comments on how being a Black woman in academic affected her journey and how she found community within a predominantly white program. My favorite part of the interview was discussing her memories of the rise and fall Vine, MySpace, Facebook and the impact each had on culture. Her newest project focusing on African American speech and videos on TikTok is fascinating!! This is one of those must listen episodes, including a chat on why referring to scholars of color as “well-spoken” or "articulate" is a racist micro aggression. I appreciate Kendra’s vulnerability and poise navigating explaining the connotations of phrase, and I think everyone can benefit from understanding how our language can belittle minority communities, particularly from a the perspective of a linguist.

Follow @thatanthropodcast on Instagram, and @ThatAnthroPod on Twitter for more behind the scenes content.

Brought to you in collaboration with the American Anthropological Association check out their podcast library here https://www.americananthro.org/StayInformed/Content.aspx?ItemNumber=1629

https://www.amazon.com/Articulate-While-Black-Barack-Language/dp/0199812985

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/zoras-daughters/id1523068454

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-one-a-podcast-about-jokes/id1203393721

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gastropod/id918896288

https://kendrancalhoun.com/