Patrice Rankine, Ph.D., is an accomplished scholar and Professor of Classics at the University of Chicago. His research focuses on the reception of Greco-Roman classics in modern literature, theater, and the history of race. A leading voice in the field of Black Classicisms, Dr. Rankine explores how ancient texts intersect with contemporary issues of performance, gender, and politics.
His significant contributions to the field include the pathbreaking monographs Ulysses in Black: Ralph Ellison, Classicism, and African American Literature—recognized as a Choice Outstanding Academic Title—and Aristotle and Black Drama: A Theater of Civil Disobedience. He is the co-editor of The Oxford Handbook of Greek Drama in the Americas. Most recently, he published Theater and Crisis: Race, Memory, and Racial Reckoning, 1974-2020.
Beyond his scholarship, Dr. Rankine is an experienced academic leader. He previously served as the Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Richmond and as Dean for the Arts and Humanities at Hope College. He earned his B.A. from Brooklyn College and holds an M.A., M.Phil., and Ph.D. in Classical Languages and Literatures from Yale University. His ongoing work continues to challenge traditional canons by highlighting the diverse voices that have shaped and engaged with the classical tradition.
Recent Publications
Book:
- Theater and Crisis: Myth, Memory, and Racial Reckoning in America, 1964-2020. Lever Press, 2024. Open access, free download: https://tinyurl.com/2bm9ffm7
Articles:
- “Images and the Discipline of Classics,” In Rethinking Classics, Ed. Paul Allen Miller;
- “Affectionate Ties: The Discipline of the Classics and the College or University Mission,” in Diversity and the Study of Antiquity in Higher Education. 1st Edition. Daniel Libatique and Fiona McHardy, Eds., Routledge, 2023, pps. 9-24;
- “Black[ened] Queer Classical: Cicero’s pro Archia poeta and Seneca’s Natural Questions (and Epistulae Morales 114) in Posthuman Perspective,” In The Routledge Handbook of Classics and Queer Theory, Routledge, 2023;
- “Myth Formalism and Black Expression: The Case of Icarus,” In Radical Formalisms, Eds. Sarah Nooter and Mario Telò, Bloomsbury, 2024;
- “Metaphor the Bittersweet: Anne Carson’s Mythmaking as Design,” In Anne Carson’s Euripides, Eds. Laura Jansen and Mario Telò, Bloomsbury 2024;
- “Black Poetry and the Classics,” in Brill’s Companion to Classical Reception and Modern World Poetry, ed. Polina Tambakaki, 2023, pps. 113-140;