African American History Reconsidered

Pero Gaglo Dagbovie is an associate professor of history at Michigan State University and the author of The Early Black History Movement, Carter G. Woodson, and Lorenzo Johnston Greene.

"As is the case with nearly all comprehensive historiographies, the author must digest and then summarize for his readers a tremendous amount of scholarship, past and present. Dagbovie succeeds remarkably well in that endeavor. . . . An especially important work for advanced graduate student of US and African American history. Recommended."--Choice "This thoughtful, provocative book sparkles with insight into the development of African American history as a field of scholarly inquiry. It sets out an ambitious array of themes that sorely need reexamination forty years after the rise of African American history as a distinct area of scholarship. Pero Gaglo Dagbovie probes the definition and meaning of African American history; the rise of scholarship on black women; new and innovative ways to teach the subject; historiography, epistemology, and the social construction of knowledge; and most controversial, the use of the concept of genocide to frame and understand the African American past."--The Journal of American History "A refreshing historiographical work."--The Journal of Southern History "African American History Reconsidered calls upon scholars to reopen the important work of theorizing black history, historiography, and historical thought. This book is a welcome contribution toward that initiative, an imperative at this seemingly (a)historical moment."--Journal of American Ethnic History "Pero Gaglo Dagbovie's incisive and timely book compels a new generation to come to terms with African American history. Beautifully crafted, illuminating and passionate, African American History Reconsidered reminds us that politically engaged critical analysis has long been at the heart of the black historian's craft."--Robin D. G. Kelley, author of Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original "African American History Reconsidered will spark debate on the issues that contemporary historians must address to foster continuing advancement of the field. This book could define the contours of African American history for the foreseeable future."--James B. Stewart, author of African Americans and the U.S. Economy "A superb study: the first major treatise on African American historiography in the past two decades. Dagbovie's work fills a gap in historiography and contributes immensely to historical studies."--Derrick P. Alridge, author of The Educational Thought of W. E. B. Du Bois: An Intellectual History

• Preface   xiAcknowledgments   xviiIntroduction   11. Conceptualizing Black History, 1903-2006   172. Approaches to Teaching and Learning African American History   483. Carter G. Woodson's Appeal, Black History, and Black Radical Thought   774. "Ample Proof of This May Be Found": Early Black Women Historians   995. "Shadow vs. Substance": Deconstructing Booker T. Washington   1276. Genocide and African American History   158Conclusion   197Notes   203Index   241