The Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures congratulates Dr. Cynthia Porter on the publication of three new scholarly and public-facing works during the summer of 2026.

 

In Feminist German Studies, Porter published "Black American Feminist Struggle in Contemporary Berlin: An Example of Nkwaethnography in German Studies" (2025), an article that introduces Nkwaethnography, a methodological framework developed by Ayana Allen-Handy, as an approach for German Studies. Drawing on experiences in contemporary Berlin, the article examines Black American feminist practices of resistance, community-building, and knowledge production across national contexts.

 

Porter also published "Connecting Curriculum with Cultural Context: The 2020 #ScholarStrike and Teaching Responsibility in the German Language Classroom" in The Journal of the Midwest Modern Language Association. The article explores how the events of the 2020 #ScholarStrike prompted critical reflection on social justice, civic responsibility, and the role of language instruction, arguing for pedagogical approaches that connect classroom learning to contemporary cultural and political contexts.

 

In addition to her peer-reviewed scholarship, Porter contributed a public-facing essay, "'Lonely Only' Voices: Modeling Perseverance, Power Despite Pain, and Possibility," to Dear Higher Education: Letters from the Social Justice Mountain. In this reflective open letter, she addresses the experiences of those who find themselves as the "only" representative of a marginalized identity within academic spaces, emphasizing perseverance, community, and the transformative possibilities of equity-centered leadership.

Together, these publications reflect Porter's ongoing commitments to Black German Studies, feminist scholarship, inclusive pedagogy, and social justice in higher education.