CFP: Expanding the Boundaries of Black Intellectual History (August 2017)

CFP: Expanding the Boundaries of Black Intellectual History

Editors: Brandon R. Byrd, Leslie M. Alexander, and Russell Rickford

Deadline: Abstract and CV by August 1, 2017

Submitted electronically in Microsoft Word to: brandon.r.byrd@vanderbilt.edu

Guidelines: Abstracts should be no more than 250 words and include a title. CVs should not exceed 2 pages.

Overview: Building on the 2017 African American Intellectual History Society (AAIHS) Annual Conference, this anthology seeks to expand the boundaries of black intellectual history by grappling with a series of compelling questions: What is the meaning of black intellectual history and how has it manifested in different historical moments? Who is a black intellectual and who have been the producers of black intellectual history? What is the relationship between intellectual history and resistance movements in the United States and across the African Diaspora? How has black intellectual history influenced black expression ranging from political protest and sexuality to digital humanities and the academy?

More specifically, this project examines the vital contributions that self-defined black intellectuals, including artists, writers, and activists, have made to U.S. and global intellectual history while also raising questions about the role of organic intellectuals, including enslaved people, in the black intellectual tradition. Moreover, it draws upon traditional methods of writing and researching Black intellectual history while integrating new approaches of historical production including those in the digital humanities. In short, this anthology encourages new thinking about the boundaries of black intellectual history and new ideas about how scholars in the twenty-first century can best define, practice, and recover it.

The editors seek historical essays from scholars of black intellectual history at all career stages. We especially seek authors who can contribute essays that address one of the following categories:

Abolitionism and Black Intellectual History
Black Power, Politics, and Protest
The Digital Humanities as Intellectual

Prospective authors can expect a response from the editors in early August. Those selected will be expected to submit a first draft of their essay by October 1, 2017. All inquiries may be directed to brandon.r.byrd@vanderbilt.edu.