A Rose by Any Other Name: Am I an Afrofuturist?

This thesis explores the idea of whether or not I could be categorized as an Afrofuturist composer. In order to come up with a set of criteria for myself, I cover a brief history of Afrofuturism, a term coined by Mark Dery to describe certain works of Black science fiction authors, that has later been expanded to encompass a cultural phenomenon where artists of the Africa diaspora use ideas of both the future of black techno-culture and elements of African history. Also covered are some of the many faces Afrofuturism has taken on depending on who was trying to define it. In the process, my compositional techniques, influences, and attributes are explained in full to get a more accurate idea of whether or not I can be labeled an Afrofuturist.