Michael L. Conniff earned degrees at UC-Berkeley and Stanford (Ph.D. 1976) and has published a number of books on modern Latin American history, most recently A History of Modern Latin America (with Lawrence Clayton) and Populism in Latin America. He has lived in the region for a dozen years, has held several post-doc appointments (including three Fulbright tours), and served in the U.S. Peace Corps. He lectures often in Portuguese and Spanish. He taught history at the University of New Mexico, Auburn University, and the University of South Florida. As director of the Global Studies Institute at San José State University, Professor Conniff promotes curriculum reform, faculty and staff development, exchanges with foreign universities, and programs to prepare students to succeed as citizens and professionals in the world at large.
Thomas J. Davis, Ph.D., J.D., teaches history and law at Arizona State University in Tempe, focusing on race and the law, civil rights, and U.S. constitutional and legal history. His most recent publications include "Race, Identity, and the Law: Underlying Questions in Plessy v. Ferguson," in Race on Trial: Law and Justice in American History (2002); "The Community of Africans in the Americas: Colonialism to CARICOM and TransAfrica" Research and Diversity Journal (2002) and "Conspiracy and Credibility", William and Mary Quarterly (2002. His books include The New York Conspiracy (Beacon Press, 1971) and A Rumor of Revolt: The 'Great Negro Plot' in Colonial New York (Free Press/Macmillan, 1985; pb. University of Massachusetts Press, 1990), which won the Gustavus Myers Center Award as one of the best books published on racial intolerance in the United States.
Latin American historian Conniff ( Black Labor on a White Canal , LJ 7/85) and African American historian and LJ reviewer Davis ( Rumor of Revolt , LJ 6/15/85) endeavor to chronicle the divergent histories of African slaves and their descendants in the United States, the Caribbean, Brazil, and Spanish America. Today, the African diaspora is mired in poverty, wields little political power, and still reflects the impact of European cultural hegemony. This introductory historiography shows how the racism inherent in European colonialism created this situation. Overall, the text outlines the dominion of state and European society over the African populations, with several chapters centering on the histories of the internal communities of African descent in the Americas. The bibliographic essay is useful, but scholars would want references. Recommended for all relevant collections.
- Kathleen E. Bethel, Northwestern Univ. Lib., Evanston, Ill.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.