Umi Vaughan

Umi Vaughan is an artist and anthropologist who explores dance, creates photographs and performances, and publishes about African Diaspora culture. He has conducted extensive anthropological research in Cuba about Afro-Cuban music and dance, and created numerous scholarly presentations, art exhibits, and cultural events in the U.S. and abroad. He holds a Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Michigan. His books include "Carlos Aldama’s Life in Batá: Cuba, Diaspora, and the Drum" (Indiana University Press, 2012) and "Rebel Dance, Renegade Stance: Timba Music and Black Identity in Cuba" (University of Michigan Press, 2012). Vaughan is currently Associate Professor of Africana Studies at California State University, Monterey Bay. He created an innovative new course called Afro Cuba Hip Hop: Music and Dance in the Black Atlantic about the social history and actual practice of music/dance styles from throughout the African Diaspora.