Toward an Intellectual History of Black Women

by Mia E. Bay (Editor), Farah Jasmine Griffin (Editor)

Despite recent advances in the study of black thought, black women intellectuals remain often neglected. This collection of essays by fifteen scholars of history and literature establishes black women's places in intellectual history by engaging the work of writers, educators, activists, religious leaders, and social reformers in the United States, Africa, and the Caribbean. Dedicated to recovering the contributions of thinkers marginalized by both their race and their gender, these essays uncover the work of unconventional intellectuals, both formally educated and self-taught, and explore the broad community of ideas in which their work participated. The end result is a field-defining and innovative volume that addresses topics ranging from religion and slavery to the politicized and gendered reappraisal of the black female body in contemporary culture.

Contributors are Mia E. Bay, Judith Byfield, Alexandra Cornelius, Thadious Davis, Corinne T. Field, Arlette Frund, Kaiama L. Glover, Farah J. Griffin, Martha S. Jones, Natasha Lightfoot, Sherie Randolph, Barbara D. Savage, Jon Sensbach, Maboula Soumahoro, and Cheryl Wall.

Genres: History, Race, Nonfiction, Education, Feminism, Womens

320 pages, Paperback

First published April 13, 2015

Reviews

[BMR, LCSW · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an exceptional collection of essays highlighting the accomplishments of mostly unknown women of the African diaspora in academia and literature.

I went looking for many of the sources listed in the notes of each chapter, only to find that the material is either not available to check out, or not available at my library at all.

I will have to buy myself a copy of this book, and research it further on my own.

Recommended for fans of literature.

[Brianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything and more. While some pieces would benefit from more conceptual elaboration, the essays on the Middle Passage, Harper, Petry, Walker, and Conde were knockouts. Bay and Jones contribute wonderful discussions on two cornerstones in the history of American political thought. It is easy to separate and pick your favorites after the readings done, but feel like the sequencing of essays within the text is necessary for detailing the knowledge production of black American women.

[Salliewt]

Interesting to learn about these women, but it would’ve been nice to see excerpts of their work.

[Jaclyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was unsurprisingly excellent. So many bad ass womxn creating theory and sociocultural frameworks and I am here for it. Learned a ton, and am glad that the collaborative exists.

[AVALON MILLER · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my cup of tea

I decided to try something different and I decided that I could not connect with the subject.
The information was interesting, but...