Daniel McNeil is a professor at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, specializing in Cultural Studies with a focus on Black diasporic identity, media, and transnational cultural exchanges. His interdisciplinary work intersects cultural studies, history, and critical race theory, often addressing how Black identities are shaped within global media and sociopolitical contexts. McNeil is the author of Sex and Race in the Black Atlantic and co-editor of Moving Together: Dance and Pluralism in Canada, works that explore the complexities of race, sexuality, and representation in Black diasporic spaces. His research contributes significantly to conversations on Black Atlantic cultures, Afrofuturism, and the politics of multiculturalism in Canada and beyond.

Jamila Johnson-Small, known professionally as Serafine1369, is a London-based multidisciplinary artist, dancer, and choreographer whose work focuses on themes of embodiment, ritual, and the liminality of human experience. Their practice spans performance, sound, video, and installation, often engaging the public in contemplative and intimate ways. Serafine1369’s work explores the intersections of race, gender, and trauma, emphasizing the fluidity of identity and the role of the body as a vessel for experience and expression. Known for performances at institutions such as the Tate Modern and the ICA in London, they also create experimental solo and collaborative pieces that challenge traditional notions of dance and movement. Through projects like I I I (something flat, something cosmic, something endless), Serafine1369 investigates how spaces can hold and transform collective energies and traumas.

Embodied Dramaturgy and Positionality: SERAFINE1369 and Daniel McNeil discussed how bodies hold personal and communal histories, which in turn impact their creative and intellectual expression. SERAFINE1369, for instance, spoke of the body as a "map" of experiences and cultural memories that remains fluid, not fixed, an "embodied dramaturgy" that sees the performer or scholar not as neutral but as bringing a wealth of lived experience into their work. Notions of objective neutrality were challenged, positioning the body as a repository of various "embodied dramaturgies" that surface in performance, academia, and daily interactions.

Position and Power in Discourse: McNeil and SERAFINE1369 mentioned the importance of positionality, acknowledging personal and historical perspectives rather than seeking neutral, “one-size-fits-all” viewpoints. This acknowledgment, McNeil said, aimed to foster a richer and more honest discourse around identity, Blackness, and creative agency.

Friction and Opacity as Tools for Complexity and Resistance: The idea of friction (or "productive tension") is examined as an essential component in both creative and academic realms. McNeil, for instance, critiques how policies around multiculturalism can push toward superficial harmony while discouraging necessary, yet uncomfortable, conversations. By embracing friction, artists and scholars can engage in dialogues that foster understanding without assuming consensus. This friction serves as a means of challenging conformist views, encouraging people to question their assumptions.

Part of the conversation, informed by Édouard Glissant’s concept of "the right to opacity," argued for the value of complexity and inscrutability in resisting oversimplification. Speakers questioned the academic push for transparency and clarity, suggesting that some aspects of culture, identity, and art are best left ambiguous. This opacity allows for greater authenticity in the portrayal of Blackness and identity, resisting the reductive pressure to make all cultural expressions legible or “acceptable” to mainstream norms.

Fluidity of Blackness: Blackness is described not as a static identity marker but as a dynamic, evolving force that holds different meanings across contexts. Inspired by thinkers like Steve Biko, McNeil emphasized that Blackness can serve as a political stance, a space for dialogue, and a means to challenge neocolonial structures. SERAFINE1369, reflecting on her own practice, points out that Blackness is not something that can be "located" or "contained" solely within the body but manifests through various dimensions of self and cultural heritage.

Blackness and Playfulness: By rejecting rigid notions of identity, Blackness becomes a site for play and experimentation. Both SERAFINE1369 and McNeil speak to how Blackness in art and performance can embrace multiplicity, shifting away from the societal push to define or categorize it. This approach invites broader interpretations and richer expressions, such as through humor or music, which can confront serious issues like racial and gender injustice in unique ways. Additionally, by reflecting on how certain spaces (like academia) enforce boundaries around “acceptable” speech and conduct, they critique the ways respectability politics can stifle creative and critical freedom. In contrast, McNeil mentioned "agonistic respect"—a concept that values respectful disagreement as a means to push conversations forward, fostering environments where intellectual growth is prized over consensus.

Playfulness, Resistance, and Non-Commodifiable Value: Both McNeil and SERAFINE1369 emphasize the importance of play, humor, and irony as powerful, non-traditional tools of resistance. They argue that play disrupts the commodification of ideas and identities, offering an alternative to the rigid expectations of traditional academia and society. For example, SERAFINE1369 mentions the influence of music and dance in allowing the body to express complexity and ambiguity in ways that defy clear categorization.

McNeil highlights "opposing commodification": the challenges that emerge from commodifying social justice and Black identity in academic and corporate settings. By valuing art, music, and cultural expression that defy easy categorization or commercial appropriation, they advocate for a broader understanding of value beyond capitalist exchange. This viewpoint resonates with the desire for cultural expressions that remain rich and meaningful, despite pressures to conform to market demands.