D. Vance Smith
Professor of English and former director of medieval studies at Princeton University, author of multiple books on medieval literature and cultural history, including Atlas’s Bones: The African Foundations of Europe.
Best podcasts with D. Vance Smith
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May 2, 2026 • 1h 11min
D. Vance Smith, "Atlas’s Bones: The African Foundations of Europe" (U Chicago Press, 2025)
D. Vance Smith, Princeton medievalist and author of Atlas’s Bones, explores Africa’s deep imprint on European culture. He traces African sources in classical and medieval literature and shows how colonial thought rewrote Africa’s role. The conversation highlights Egyptology, museum narratives, legal legacies, and forgotten African literary traditions.
May 2, 2026 • 1h 11min
D. Vance Smith, "Atlas’s Bones: The African Foundations of Europe" (U Chicago Press, 2025)
D. Vance Smith, Princeton medievalist and author, reclaims Africa as the source of key European cultural texts. He traces African influence on Virgil, Chaucer, and Petrarch. He explores how medieval studies and colonial institutions erased African literacies and reshaped race, law, and museum displays. The conversation moves from medieval links to modern consequences.
