Description
Book SynopsisThe Black Revolution on Campus is the definitive account of an extraordinary but forgotten chapter of the black freedom struggle. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Black students organized hundreds of protests that sparked a period of crackdown, negotiation, and reform that profoundly transformed college life. At stake was the very mission of higher education. Black students demanded that public universities serve their communities; that private universities rethink the mission of elite education; and that black colleges embrace self-determination and resist the threat of integration. Most crucially, black students demanded a role in the definition of scholarly knowledge. Martha Biondi masterfully combines impressive research with a wealth of interviews from participants to tell the story of how students turned the slogan black power into a social movement. Vividly demonstrating the critical linkage between the student movement and changes in university culture, Biondi illustrates how victories in establishing Black Studies ultimately produced important intellectual innovations that have had a lasting impact on academic research and university curricula over the past 40 years. This book makes a major contribution to the current debate on Ethnic Studies, access to higher education, and opportunity for all.
Trade Review“Thoroughly researched, beautifully written, and a fascinating piece of history . . . an exceptional piece of scholarship, and a book greatly worth reading.” * Washington Spectator *
“Biondi’s work offers a fresh perspective on the student protest era, acknowledging the major and overlooked contributions of Black students.” * Booklist *
“Biondi’s book is a very powerful chronicle of the struggle and strategizing that moved seemingly immovable institutions toward change.” * Souls *
"Enriches our understanding of the vital, if often undervalued and understudied, role of black students in linking campus radicalism to broader struggles for racial and economic justice and in calling public attention to issues of diversity in higher education. . . .
The Black Revolution on Campus is a valuable addition to our understanding of the modern black freedom movement, student activism, and the institutionalization of black studies as an agent of change in higher education." * Academe *
"The most comprehensive account of black studies founding generations. . . . [A] nuanced telling of the creation of black studies programs." * Journal of American History *
"Deep and interesting. . . . Provides a sweeping view of the birth of Black studies. . . . Biondi succeeds in creating a first-rate book that should be considered necessary reading for those interested in student activism and in stiutional change, current debates on ethnic studies, and black intellectual history." * American Historical Review *
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The Black Revolution on Campus does contribute to our understanding of 1960s black student activism and the rise of Black Studies, and deserves close examination." * Journal of African American History *
Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Introduction: The Black Revolution on Campus 1. "Moving toward Blackness": The Rise of Black Power on Campus 2. "A Revolution Is Beginning": The Strike at San Francisco State 3. "A Turbulent Era of Transition": Black Students and a New Chicago 4. "Brooklyn College Belongs to Us": The Transformation of Higher Education in New York City 5. Toward a Black University: Radicalism, Repression, and Reform at Historically Black Colleges 6. The Counterrevolution on Campus: Why Was Black Studies So Controversial? 7. The Black Revolution Off-Campus 8. What Happened to Black Studies? Conclusion: Reflections on the Movement and Its Legacy Notes Selected Bibliography Acknowledgments Photo Credits Index
