Tammy Brown

Department of History
tbrown@princeton.edu

Tammy Brown is conducting research on Choreographer and dancer, Pearl Primus. The height of Primus’ career spanned from the 1930s to the 1970s. She brought African-diasporic dance styles to the United States, and her work has enduring influence in modern dance today. Brown’s study highlights how Primus used dance as political activism—as she challenged racism at home and abroad. The study also explores how Primus constructed and contested black identities in the New York City through her work.