How Historians Think: Researching African American Education, Thought, and Activism

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

This symposium will explore the research methods of four historians studying African American education, thought, and activism from the turn of the twentieth century to the last quarter of the twentieth century. Historians are often viewed among social scientists as scholars without methods. This is inaccurate. Historians generally think differently about research than education researchers and social scientists, which often contributes to an ambiguity about historical research in education. Historians often are not explicit about how they conduct research because they see their methods as “history” and implicit in their particular study. To add, the collective focus on African American education, thought, and activism will provide fruitful insights on how historians engage issues of race, gender, and intersectionality.

Sub Unit

• Division F - Historical Inquiry in Education

Chair

• Derrick Alridge, University of Virginia

Papers

• The Archway to Excellence: Nannie Helen Burroughs and Early Womynist Thought, 1900-1961 - Traki Taylor-Webb, Bowie State University

• Researching Walter N. Ridley: The University of Virginia’s First African American Graduate - Derrick Alridge, University of Virginia

• Researching the Universities of Islam: Experiences of a Novice Historian - Lindsey Elizabeth Jones, University of Virginia

• Agents of Resistance: Black Student and Community Response to Florida A&M University Desegregation Proposals - Deirdre Cobb-Roberts, University of South Florida