Sami Schalk is an

associate professor Associate professor is an academic title with two principal meanings: in the North American system and that of the ''Commonwealth system''. In the ''North American system'', used in the United States and many other countries, it is a position ...

in the Department of

Gender Gender is the range of social, psychological, cultural, and behavioral aspects of being a man (or boy), woman (or girl), or third gender. Although gender often corresponds to sex, a transgender person may identify with a gender other tha ...

Women's Studies Women's studies is an academic field that draws on Feminism, feminist and interdisciplinary methods to place women's lives and experiences at the center of study, while examining Social constructionism, social and cultural constructs of gender; ...

at the

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...

. She was previously an Assistant Professor in the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

Department at the

University at Albany, SUNY The State University of New York at Albany (University at Albany, UAlbany, or SUNY Albany) is a Public university, public research university in Albany, New York, United States. Founded in 1844, it is one of four "university centers" of the St ...

. In 2019 she started the campaign #twerkwithlizzo, combining fun with larger issues relating to racism, sexism and fatphobia as a form of "pleasure activism". Her

twerking Twerking (; possibly from 'to work') is a type of African-American dance, dance to popular music in a sexually provocative manner involving Pelvic thrusting, throwing or thrusting the hips back or shaking the buttocks, often in a Partial squat, ...

with

Lizzo Melissa Viviane Jefferson (born April 27, 1988), known professionally as Lizzo (), is an American singer and rapper. Born in Detroit, Michigan, she moved to Houston, Texas, with her family at the age of ten. After college, she moved to Minn ...

went viral.

Cultural significance

Schalk twerked with

onstage on October 10, 2019. She twerked onstage with

Janelle Monáe Janelle Monáe Robinson ( ; born December 1, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper and actress. She has received ten Grammy Award nominations, and is the recipient of a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Children's and Family Emmy Award. ...

on the Age of Pleasure tour in Indianapolis, Indiana, on September 10, 2023. She talked with

Jonathan Van Ness Jonathan McDonald Van Ness (born March 28, 1987), also commonly referred to by his initials J.V.N., is an American hairstylist, podcast host and television personality. He is best known as the grooming expert on the Netflix series ''Queer Eye ...

on his Getting Curious podcast in an episode from October 26, 2022, about Black disability politics.

Education

Schalk received her

B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...

in English & Women's Studies in 2008, with a minor in

Disability Studies Disability studies is an academic discipline that examines the meaning, nature, and consequences of disability. Initially, the field focused on the division between "impairment" and "disability", where impairment was an impairment of an individual ...

, from

Miami University Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public university, public research university in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the second-oldest List of colleges and universities in Ohio, university in Ohi ...

, and her M.F.A. in

Creative Writing Creative writing is any writing that goes beyond the boundaries of normal professional, journalistic, academic, or technical forms of literature, typically identified by an emphasis on craft and technique, such as narrative structure, character ...

from the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...

in 2010. She received her PhD in Gender Studies from

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a state university system, system of Public university, public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. The system has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration o ...

in 2014.

Awards

* In 2021, Schalk received the

University of Wisconsin System The University of Wisconsin System is a state public university system in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is one of the largest public higher-education systems in the country, enrolling more than 160,000 students each year and employing approx ...

Outstanding Women of Color Award, which is intended to honor women "for their leadership in making significant and lasting contributions to their campuses, their communities or both." * In 2019, Schalk received the LGBTQ Advocate of the Year award from the OutReach LGBT Community Center in Madison, Wisconsin.

Publications

Schalk has published numerous journal articles, book chapters, essays, reviews, and popular articles. In 2018, she published a monograph titled ''Bodyminds Reimagined: (Dis)ability, Race, and Gender in Black Women’s Speculative Fiction''. In 2022, she published the book ''Black Disability Politics''. It is also available online through open access downloads from the publisher. Her books were published through Duke University Press.

References

External links

''Bodyminds Reimagined: (Dis)ability, Race, and Gender in Black Women's Speculative Fiction'', 2018

''Black Disability Politics'', 2022

Disability Visibility Project podcast Episode 46: Disability Studies

Interview with Schalk from the 19th

National Public Radio interview with Schalk on Black Disability Politics
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schalk, Sami University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty Living people Disability studies academics Year of birth missing (living people) American academics of women's studies American women non-fiction writers University at Albany, SUNY faculty