First published 2024
Black studies stands at a crossroads. Scholar and activist James B. Stewart surveys the field's current state as social movements surge and backlash intensifies. He examines how anti-Black racism debates have sparked new activism while triggering calls to ban Critical Race Theory. Stewart argues that Black studies has created powerful analytical tools, but these remain fragmented across academic papers, cultural works, and artistic expression. The field struggles with core questions about its direction. Stewart proposes solutions through three major sections. He clarifies the approaches that define contemporary Black studies. He demonstrates how creative works can drive cultural analysis and political action. He suggests restoring balance between scholarly research and direct community engagement. Stewart weaves together essays, speeches, and poems while covering figures from W.E.B. Du Bois to James Baldwin, movements from conscious hip-hop to Black Lives Matter, and crises from Hurricane Katrina to Covid-19. His accessible analysis targets researchers, graduate students, and undergraduates studying Black studies, diaspora studies, and related fields.
Genres: american, african-american, contemporary, biography-memoir, 21st-century, activism, academic, cultural-studies
Vibes: accessible, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: academic-work, political-activism, social-commentary
Setting: United States
Period: 21st Century
272 pages · Paperback · Zed Books