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From Black Power to Black Studies

How a Radical Social Movement Became an Academic Discipline

Fabio Rojas

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The black power movement helped redefine African Americans' identity and establish a new racial consciousness in the 1960s. As an influential political force, this movement in turn spawned the academic discipline known as Black Studies. Today there are more than a hundred Black Studies degree programs in the United States, many of them located in America’s elite research institutions. In From Black Power to Black Studies, Fabio Rojas explores how this radical social movement evolved into a recognized academic discipline.

Rojas traces the evolution of Black Studies over more than three decades...

The black power movement helped redefine African Americans' identity and establish a new racial consciousness in the 1960s. As an influential political force, this movement in turn spawned the academic discipline known as Black Studies. Today there are more than a hundred Black Studies degree programs in the United States, many of them located in America’s elite research institutions. In From Black Power to Black Studies, Fabio Rojas explores how this radical social movement evolved into a recognized academic discipline.

Rojas traces the evolution of Black Studies over more than three decades, beginning with its origins in black nationalist politics. His account includes the 1968 Third World Strike at San Francisco State College, the Ford Foundation’s attempts to shape the field, and a description of Black Studies programs at various American universities. His statistical analyses of protest data illuminate how violent and nonviolent protests influenced the establishment of Black Studies programs. Integrating personal interviews and newly discovered archival material, Rojas documents how social activism can bring about organizational change.

Shedding light on the black power movement, Black Studies programs, and American higher education, this historical analysis reveals how radical politics are assimilated into the university system.

Reviews

Reviews

Rojas' book makes a significant contribution to the small but growing literature on social movements within organizations; those who study knowledge politics will also find it a useful read.

Rojas has made a qualified yet significant scholarly contribution relevant to multiple disciplines in myriad ways.

A fascinating account of the development of black studies departments in American colleges and universities.

There is more than one way to analyze historical phenomena, and the sociologist Fabio Rojas has chosen to approach the issue in sociological terms... historians of the civil rights movement and of American higher education will profit considerably from reading this work.

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About

Book Details

Publication Date
Status
Available
Trim Size
6
x
9
Pages
304
ISBN
9780801898259
Illustration Description
6 halftones, 2 line drawings
Table of Contents

List of Figures and Tables
Preface
Acknowledgments
Note on Terminology
1. The Movement That Became an Institution
2. The Road to Black Studies
3. Revolution at San Francisco State College
4. The Life and

List of Figures and Tables
Preface
Acknowledgments
Note on Terminology
1. The Movement That Became an Institution
2. The Road to Black Studies
3. Revolution at San Francisco State College
4. The Life and Death of Black Studies Programs
5. The Ford Foundation's Mission in Black Studies
6. Constructing the Discipline
7. Black Studies as the Loyal Opposition
Appendixes
A. Note on Research Method
B. Archives Consulted
C. Newspapers Consulted
D. People Interviewed by the Author
E. Sample Interview Questions
F. Interviews Collected by Others
G. Quantitative Data Used
H. The Survey of Issues in Africana Studies
Notes
Index

Author Bio
Fabio Rojas
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Fabio Rojas

Fabio Rojas is an assistant professor of sociology at Indiana University.