Abstract
As Black academics, researchers, and educators, we navigate the twin topographies of the academy and the open territories of possibility. Connecting these realms, we construct “backyard project” spaces—semi-enclosed areas linking academic spaces and liberated spaces. We use our creation of the backyard as a locality wherein we challenge oppressive, antiquated academic systems and anti-Blackness without waiting for reform. For example, our collective project, the Black Educology Mixtape “Journal,” exemplifies this concept. This track discusses the “backyard” as an extension of both third and fugitive spaces and, through material culture and fugitivity as method, highlights the backyard as a site for liberation. Ultimately, the backyard and the backyard projects born in this space acknowledge oppressive systems while fostering Black joy and liberation. Black Educology as a backyard project challenges academic hegemony and envisions Black futurities both within and outside of the academy.
Recommended Citation
Carter, D., & Obaizamomwan-Hamilton, E. (2026). Remixing the Academy Through Backyard Spaces: The Making of Black Educology, the Mixtape. Black Educology Mixtape "Journal", 4(1). Retrieved from https://repository.usfca.edu/be/vol4/iss1/12