Black Histories in the White Academy

Recovering black herstories, histories and the stories of other marginalised groups in the Western Academy has become an important research area. Interventions include the research done in the last decade by different student groups, academics and black activists like the #BlackCantabs, #BlackOxford, #BlackAcademicsatKings, among others. These projects have highlighted the impact black students and academics have had outside the university but also inside the university, as groups and individuals within their context and time period. Writing the histories and herstories of black students in the white academy is a project that hopes not only to document the achievements of individual black students, but also to reshape collective imaginaries of current students who can find inspiration in previous students’ success in the academy. Reclaiming black histories in western spaces raises important questions for interdisciplinary scholars from black history studies, African studies, education scholars, intellectual history scholarship and diversity/race scholarship in bringing to life the histories and works of black pathbreakers and black agency in the white academy or white spaces.
This stream invites panels and paper proposals that focus on student efforts in changing the university from below, efforts of marginalised groups in the academy and agency in reclaiming black people, students, scholars and researchers who have claimed a place in history in western academia and other white spaces and their legacies. Exploring these legacies will contribute to reflections on the intellectual, activist histories and legacies of black students in the white western academy in changing policies and contributing to the academic disciplines among other legacies.

Please send queries and panel proposals to Dr Njoki Wamai, nwamai@usiu.ac.ke