RUNC: Kumi Silva

Kumi Silva studies how love and hate are intertwined.

Kumi Silvaphoto by Megan Mendenhall
January 15th, 2025

Kumi Silva is an associate professor in the Department of Communication within the UNC College of Arts and Sciences. She studies how affective relationships — especially calls to and of love — animate legal, social, and political practices that are cruel and alienating.

Q: How did you discover your specific field of study?

A: By accident! As an undergraduate, I focused on media production and graphic design and had planned on going into advertising after graduation. But in my junior and senior year I took two classes: one in women’s studies and another in Asian American studies that had such a deep impact that I decided to pursue graduate school with a focus in identity and cultural studies.

Those two classes also significantly shaped my commitments to social justice and equity on an intellectual level. I grew up during civil war and unrest, first in Sri Lanka, and then Liberia in the 1980s, and what I was reading about race, gender, and power in those classes gave me the initial theoretical tools and vocabulary to understand the structures, both popular and political, that I engage with even now.

Q: Academics are problem-solvers. Describe a research challenge you’ve faced and how you overcame it.

A: Writing my book, “Brown Threat.” It was not based on my dissertation research — and that is unusual for first books, especially in the humanities. I started thinking and writing about identification right after 9/11 to put on paper my own reality based on all that was unfolding at that time. Once the dissertation was complete, I realized that I wanted to turn those ideas into my first book, rather than my dissertation. Given this, I had to teach myself how to write a book from scratch, without the infrastructure of graduate school.

It was really challenging at times because I didn’t have an advisor to reach out to or a cohort of peers to discuss ideas. And I also had to continuously update the examples as I was working through the project because there was, and is, so much going on. The subject matter is hardly joyful, and at times I really had to push myself to read the new stories and policies that were unfolding. It was daunting but I just kept at it consistently — not always in huge leaps — until it was done.

Q: Describe your research in five words.

A: Love and hate are intertwined.

Q: Who or what inspires you? Why?

A: The individuals and groups that speak truth to power. Their perseverance and commitment to caring for the most vulnerable amongst us is something that I find inspiring and necessary.

Q: If you could pursue any other career, what would it be and why?

A: I’d want to be in an industry where I could feed people!

Research UNCovered delves into the lives of Carolina researchers from all disciplines and career levels, showcasing not only their research prowess but personal experiences in academia and beyond. Read more RUNC features here.