From Black Power to Black Studies: How a Radical Social Movement Became an Academic Discipline » (New Edition)

Fabio Rojas is an assistant professor of sociology at Indiana University.

The black power movement helped redefine African Americans' identity and establish a new racial consciousness in the 1960s. As an influential political force, this movement in turn spawned the academic discipline known as Black Studies. Today there are more than a hundred Black Studies degree programs in the United States, many of them located in America's elite research institutions. In From Black Power to Black Studies, Fabio Rojas explores how this radical social movement evolved into a recognized academic discipline.

Rojas traces the evolution of Black Studies over more than three decades, beginning with its origins in black nationalist politics. His account includes the 1968 Third World Strike at San Francisco State College, the Ford Foundation's attempts to shape the field, and a description of Black Studies programs at various American universities. His statistical analyses of protest data illuminate how violent and nonviolent protests influenced the establishment of Black Studies programs. Integrating personal interviews and newly discovered archival material, Rojas documents how social activism can bring about organizational change.

Shedding light on the black power movement, Black Studies programs, and American higher education, this historical analysis reveals how radical politics are assimilated into the university system.

List of Figures and Tables ix

Preface xi

Acknowledgments xv

Note on Terminology xvii

1 The Movement That Became an Institution 1

2 The Road to Black Studies 22

3 Revolution at San Francisco State College 45

4 The Life and Death of Black Studies Programs 93

5 The Ford Foundation's Mission in Black Studies 130

6 Constructing the Discipline 167

7 Black Studies as the Loyal Opposition 207

Appendixes

A Note on Research Method 227

B Archives Consulted 229

C Newspapers Consulted 231

D People Interviewed by the Author 231

E Sample Interview Questions 232

F Interviews Collected by Others 233

G Quantitative Data Used 234

H The Survey of Issues in Africana Studies 235

Notes 237

Index 273