Bill V. Mullen

Bill V. Mullen
Born(1959-08-15)August 15, 1959
United States
NationalityAmerican
EducationPh.D. in English, City University of New York Graduate Center (1990)
Occupation(s)Author, scholar, professor emeritus
Known forAfrican-American literature, American Studies, cultural politics

Bill V. Mullen (born August 15, 1959) is an American author, scholar, and professor emeritus of American Studies at Purdue University.[1] He is known for his work in African American literature, American studies, and cultural politics.[2]

Early Life and Education

Bill V. Mullen served as a professor of English and American Studies at Purdue University, where he taught for several years and held various academic positions. His research encompasses African American culture, comparative ethnic studies, and the political intersections of literature and history.[3]

He received his Ph.D. degree in English from the City University of New York Graduate Center in 1990.

Academic Career

From 1990 to 2000, Mullen taught at Youngstown State University, where he was also active in faculty union work. He later joined the University of Texas at San Antonio as a professor of African American Literature and, in 2005, became a full professor of American Studies at Purdue University. At Purdue, he also served as Director of American Studies (2005–2010) and participated in AAUP faculty governance.

In 1997, Mullen was a Fulbright Lecturer at Wuhan University in China. He currently serves as Secretary/Treasurer of AAUP Local 6741 and is a member of the Coalition for Action in Higher Education (CAHE).[4]

Published Works

Mullen has authored and edited several books including:

  • Popular Fronts: Chicago and African American Cultural Politics, 1935–1946 (1999).[5][6][7]
  • Afro-Orientalism (2004).[8]
  • Un-American: W.E.B. Du Bois and the Century of World Revolution (2015).[9][10]
  • James Baldwin: Living in Fire (2019).[11]
  • The Black Antifascist Tradition: Fighting Back from Anti-Lynching to Abolition (2023) – Co-authored with Jeanelle Hope.[12]
  • W.E.B. Du Bois: Revolutionary Across the Color Line (2016)[13]
  • We Charge Genocide!: American Fascism and the Rule of Law (Fordham University Press, 2024).[14]

Edited Volumes

Mullen has edited or co-edited several influential collections, including:

  • A U.S. Antifascism Reader (2020, with Christopher Vials)[15]
  • Afro Asia: Revolutionary Political and Cultural Connections Between African Americans and Asian Americans (2008, with Fred Ho)[16]
  • W.E.B. Du Bois on Asia: Crossing the World Color Line (with Cathryn Watson)[13]
  • Left of the Color Line: Race, Radicalism, and Modern Literatures of the United States (with James Smethurst)[17]

Journalism and Commentary

Mullen regularly contributes reviews and essays to platforms such as the Los Angeles Review of Books, New Politics, Mondoweiss, Electronic Intifada, and Rebel. His writings address topics like fascism, Palestine, anti-Blackness, and U.S. foreign policy.[18]

Selected writings:

  • A Genocide in Its Context", Against the Current (2025)[19]
  • James Baldwin and the FBI,” Social Text (2017)
  • Spectres of Palestinian History: An Interview with Isabella Hammad”, Mondoweiss (2023)[20]

Interviews and Public Talks

Mullen has appeared in several podcasts, lectures, and literary events [21]

  • Book talk on James Baldwin: Living in Fire, New Books Network
  • Interview on Law and Disorder podcast discussing We Charge Genocide
  • Talk on Democracy Nerd about A U.S. Antifascism Reader
  • Panelist at Palestine Writes Literature Festival

References

  1. ^ Heideman, Paul. "Bill Mullen | International Socialist Review". isreview.org. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
  2. ^ "Bill Mullen - College of Liberal Arts - Purdue University". www.cla.purdue.edu. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
  3. ^ Mullen, Bill V. (November 2023). "American Studies American Studies Newsletter" (PDF). Purdue University. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
  4. ^ "The 2025 National Day of Action: Talking with the Coalition for Action in Higher Education about "the World We Live in and the World We Want." | Speaking Out OF Place". Retrieved July 22, 2025.
  5. ^ Review
  6. ^ Review
  7. ^ Review
  8. ^ "Afro Orientalism". University of Minnesota Press. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
  9. ^ Ewing, Adam (September 1, 2016). "Un-American: W. E. B. Du Bois and the Century of World Revolution". Journal of American History. 103 (2): 493.1–493. doi:10.1093/jahist/jaw247. ISSN 0021-8723.
  10. ^ Heideman, Paul. "A new window on the radicalism of W. E. B. Du Bois | International Socialist Review". isreview.org. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
  11. ^ Barekat, Houman (November 14, 2019). "James Baldwin: Living in Fire by Bill V Mullen review – a smart, concise introduction". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
  12. ^ Bergin, Cathy (January 1, 2025). "The Black Antifascist Tradition: Fighting Back from Anti-lynching to Abolition by Jeanelle K. Hope and Bill V. Mullen". Race & Class. 66 (3): 94–96. doi:10.1177/03063968241291504. ISSN 0306-3968.
  13. ^ a b Mullen, Bill (2016). W.E.B. Du Bois: revolutionary across the color line. Revolutionary lives. London: Pluto Press. ISBN 978-0-7453-3505-6.
  14. ^ https://fordhampress.com/9781531508449/we-charge-genocide/
  15. ^ Mullen, Bill; Vials, Chris, eds. (2020). The US antifascism reader. London ; Brooklyn, New York: Verso. ISBN 978-1-78873-350-2.
  16. ^ Pate, Alexs; Esch, Betsy; Mullen, Bill; Higashida, Cheryl; Widener, Daniel; Kaufman, David; Mura, David; Fujino, Diane; Hoagland, Everett, eds. (2008). Afro Asia: Revolutionary Political and Cultural Connections between African Americans and Asian Americans. Durham: Duke University Press. ISBN 978-0-8223-8117-4.
  17. ^ Mullen, Bill; Smethurst, James Edward; Mullen, Bill, eds. (2003). Left of the color line: race, radicalism, and twentieth-century literature of the United States. The John Hope Franklin series in African American history and culture. Chapel Hill, NC: The Univ. of North Carolina Press. ISBN 978-0-8078-5477-8.
  18. ^ "Dispatches from an Unoccupied Future: Reflections on the Palestine Writes Festival". Los Angeles Review of Books. February 5, 2021. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
  19. ^ "A Genocide in Its Context". Against the Current. February 28, 2025. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
  20. ^ "Spectres of Palestinian history: an interview with Isabella Hammad". Mondoweiss. September 1, 2023. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
  21. ^ "Dispatches from an Unoccupied Future: Reflections on the Palestine Writes Festival". Los Angeles Review of Books. February 5, 2021. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
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