Dr. Rashad Shabazz’s is a geographer of race, culture, and the built environment.
He has written two books. Most recently, he published Prince’s Minneapolis—A Biography of Sound and Place (University of North Carolina Press, 2026). It is a historical geographic exploration of Prince, his beloved Minneapolis, and the sound that made him famous. Beginning 100 years before the iconic rock star’s birth, the book traces the development of Minneapolis and its music scene. It not only details how the city and its sound were born, and the cast of characters who created them, but also explores how social forces such as settler colonialism, mass migration, industrialization, public education, and suburbanization shaped the city and its sound. It also highlights how one young genius in the city’s Black Near North Side synthesized the city’s fractured musical geography into a new sound and became one of the most important figures in modern music.
Spatializing Blackness—Architectures of Confinement and Black Masculinity in Chicago is Shabazz’s first book. It’s a historical geography of racism and gender construction in Chicago (University of Illinois Press, 2015). The book shows how racist practices expressed in geography—racial segregation, housing projects—made parts of Black Chicago feel prison-like.
In addition to his two books, he’s published journal articles and book chapters on the link between place, race, gender, and culture. Some of the most prestigious journals have published his work, enabling him to have a significant impact across multiple academic fields. His ideas have guided new ways of understanding humans and place. He is one of the country’s most widely cited academics.
Rashad has also written extensively for public-facing outlets and is frequently asked by news outlets for comment and analysis. He’s presented research at conferences, universities, and on media outlets across the U.S., Canada, France, Germany, and the U.K.
Rashad has blurbed several books, edited book manuscripts, and written for tenure cases. University and trade presses regularly ask him to review book and journal manuscripts.
He has appeared on NPR, PBS, the BBC, the CBC, ABC, and Radio France Internationale, as well as well-known shows like 20/20. Print media has also sought his insights, including The New York Times, The Minnesota Star Tribune, The Chicago Tribune, and The Arizona Republic.
Dr. Shabazz is currently working on a book about New York City’s built environment. It’s titled We Built Different—How New York City Was Built, Why It Makes the City Unique, And Why iI Matters To Everyone
