The Legacy of Dandyism: Seminar with Dr. Cheryl Thompson

We’re rolling out the black carpet and bringing the Met Gala to Toronto! But first, we’ll be taking a step back to delve into the rich, layered history of the Dandy, a political movement, mode of social critique, and symbol of style, resistance, self-expression, and cultural identity.

This seminar-style lecture will delve into the history and cultural significance of Dandyism. Dr. Cheryl Thompson will take us on a journey into the roots and decades-long evolution of the Black Dandy, examining key Black-Canadian contributions to the movement and uncovering how the Dandy figure has shaped our city’s stylistic and cultural identity. With her trademark approach to the archive, Dr. Thompson will be methodically untangling the threads that connect fashion, resistance, and self-expression across time.

About Dr. Cheryl Thompson

Dr. Cheryl Thompson is an Academic, Public Speaker, and Director, Research and Creative Strategy of Mapping Ontario’s Black Archives (MOBA), an Ontario Early Researcher Award, and Social Science Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) funded project. MOBA is reimagining Black archives in the province of Ontario by making Black archival collections accessible and searchable via an open access online platform. She is also Director of Black Creative Lab, an incubator for the curation of public exhibits, speaker events, and YouTube content. She is the author of Uncle: Race, Nostalgia, and the Politics of Loyalty (2021) and Beauty in a Box (2019). Her next book, Canada and the Blackface Atlantic: Performing Slavery, Conflict, and Freedom, 1812-1897, will be published in April 2025. In 2021, Dr. Thompson was inducted into the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists, and Scientists for her contributions to Black Canadian studies.