The Voice of Anna Julia Cooper: Including A Voice From the South and Other Important Essays, Papers, and Letters (Legacies of Social Thought Series) [Paperback]

Charles Lemert (Editor), Esme Bhan (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Legacies of Social Thought Series | Publication Date: January 1, 1998

This collection is a major contribution to the reconstruction of gender balance in African-American history --Manning Marable, Columbia University

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Lemert and Bhan bring to life the remarkable Anna Julia Cooper (1858-1964), teacher, scholar, social activist, college president, writer, and emblem of black women of America. Although there are two important biographical studies of Cooper, by Louise Daniel Hutchinson (1981) and Leona C. Gabel (1982), this is the first collection of her writings. It includes her most famous published work, A Voice from the South, by a Black Woman of the South (1892), and an array of essays, speeches, and letters previously accessible only through archival collections, primarily Howard University's Moorland-Spingarn Research Center. The "voice" of Cooper clearly indicates an individual who knows who she is, what she believes, and what she wants and is forthright in presenting her views and convictions on race politics, feminism, social services, education, race and culture, and slavery. It is a "voice" well worth reading for the ideas and convictions expressed but also as a reflection of the progress and lack of progress in American culture. Editors Lemert (sociology, Wesleyan Univ.) and Bhan, former principal curator at the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center and former director of the African American indexing project at the Smithsonian Institution, have created a book that belongs in all academic libraries.?Jeris Cassel, Rutgers Univ. Libs., New Brunswick, NJ
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Thanks to this much-awaited edition with its excellent introduction, Anna Julia Cooper will no longer be merely a citation in the indices of works on women and people of color. As their title aptly announces, Esme Bhan and Charles Lemert have retrieved for us The Voice of Anna Julia Cooper. (David Levering Lewis )

Thanks to this much-awaited edition with its excellent introduction, Anna Julia Cooper will no longer be merely a citation in the indices of works on women and people of color. As their title aptly announces, Esme Bhan and Charles Lemert have retrieved for us The Voice of Anna Julia Cooper. (David Levering Lewis )

A much-needed addition to the dearth of primary sources which will illuminate one of history's most important feminist figures. (Paula Giddings )

Cooper may be the founding figure in contemporary writings bringing together race, class, and gender—the foremother of today's influential black feminist writers. This collection is a major contribution to the reconstruction of gender balance in African American history. (Marable, Manning )

Writing over a fifty-year period, Cooper not only participated in the ongoing dialogue over race relations and racial uplift in the United States, but also turned a scholarly lens on the history of the slave trade and the development of the Black Atlantic. She belongs in the company of W.E.B. Du Bois. (Carla L. Peterson )

Historians, literary critics, and general readers alike will appreciate having access to Cooper's viewpoints. (Kathryn L. Seidel The Journal Of Southern History )

The Voice of Anna Julia Cooper is, quite simply, a fine collection. Carefully edited, it contributes greatly to the study of the history of this country. (Cally L. Waite History Of Education Quarterly )

The Voice of Anna Julia Cooper is, quite simply, a fine collection. Carefully edited, it contributes greatly to the study of the history of this country. (Cally L. Waite History Of Education Quarterly )

This is an impressive, meticulously researched, and wonderfully written study. It does much to further our understanding of southern women—black and white, conservative and progressive—and their efforts to expand the public role of women in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. (Christina Greene National Women's Studies Association Journal )

This is a good selection of 29 of [Cooper's] writings on varied subjects ranging from her A Voice from the South (1892) to her "Hitler and the Negro" (1942). . . . Theoretical scholars debate how to characterize her; the gracefully written introductions in this valuable volume deftly put the debates in perspective. . . . Highly recommended. (J. H. Smith Choice )

This is a good selection of 29 of [Cooper's] writings on varied subjects ranging from her A Voice from the South (1892) to her "Hitler and the Negro" (1942). . . . Theoretical scholars debate how to characterize her; the gracefully written introductions in this valuable volume deftly put the debates in perspective. . . . Highly recommended. (J. H. Smith Choice )

Charles Lemert and Esme Bhan's collection serves a timely purpose. A number of Cooper's less familiar writtings, many previously unpublished or virtually inaccesssible, are also included in this compilation and demonstrate the range of her interests, from race politics to the role of humor in teaching. Lemert and Bhan's introduction provides a comprehensive overview of Cooper's life and interactions with other black intellectuals, including W.E.B. Du Bois, Ida B. Wells, Charlotte Grimke, and Mary Church Terrell. The editors have chosen wisely from a lifetime of work. (Washington History )

The Voice of Anna Julia Cooper will surely be an instructive and engaging read for those interested in African American educational history or feminist philosophy, as well as for those who enjoy reading astute observations on race, gender, and class in society. (Harvard Educational Review )

The Voice of Anna Julia Cooper will surely be an instructive and engaging read for those interested in African American educational history or feminist philosophy, as well as for those who enjoy reading astute observations on race, gender, and class in society. (Harvard Educational Review )

The writings of this influential African American activist make for powerful reading. (Waterwheel )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 370 pages
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers (January 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0847684083
• ISBN-13: 978-0847684083
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #343,787 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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