From Black Power to Black Studies

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 now 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. Integrating personal interviews, newly discovered archival material, and statistical analyses, Rojas documents how social activism can bring about organizational change. His account includes the 1968 Third World Strike at San Francisco State College, the Ford Foundation's attempts to channel the field, and a description of Black Studies programs at prominent American universities. His statistical analyses of protest data illuminate how violent and nonviolent protests influence the establishment of Black Studies programs. This historical analysis sheds new light on the black power movement, Black Studies programs, and American higher education. It is a story of how radical politics assimilates into the university system.