Education
PhD, Modern China and East Asia, University of California—Irvine
MSc, International Public Service, DePaul University
BA, History, Morehouse College
Biography
Dr. Presswood’s transnational research interrogates the historical record of socio-cultural interactions between Africa, the African Diaspora and China in the 20th century.
Research Interests
Modern China/Afro-Asian History/African American History/Race and Racism/Popular Culture and Music/ Jazz Studies
Publications
Presswood, Marketus. “Sonicated Blackness in Jazz Age Shanghai, 1926-1954: Jazz, Community, and the(in)visibility of African American musicians in the creation of the soundtrack of Chinese modernity. ” Souls: A critical Journal of Black Politics, Culture, and Society, 22 no. 2-4: Captured Histories: Blackness, State violence, and Resistance
Non-peer-reviewed publications
Presswood, Marketus. “Living in the White House” and “Black is Beautiful” In China Tripping: Encountering the Everyday in the People’s Republic edited by Jeremy A. Murray, Perry Link, and Paul G. Pickowicz. Rowman & Littlefield Press, 2019.
“On Being Black in China ,” The Atlantic, July 17, 2013,
Performances
Filmography/Media
Documentary Films
“Yellow Jazz/Black Music: Race, Culture and History in China Vol. 1 (2021)
Director/Producer/Writer
“Sunrise in the West: Black Jazz and the Asian American Movement” (in post-production)
Director/Producer/Writer
Professional Organizations
National Committee on U.S. China Relations
The China Research Center