Call for Papers: 90 Years Since Black Reconstruction in America

Call for Papers:

90 Years since Black Reconstruction in America 

Deadline: July 1, 2025

Few works in American history are as groundbreaking as W.E.B. Du Bois’s Black Reconstruction in America, first published in 1935. In the 90 years since its publication, the book changed the mainstream interpretation of the Reconstruction era in American history—first slowly, as most historians were still wedded to the Dunning School (named after William Archibald Dunning of Columbia University), and then rapidly in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, as the triumphs of the Civil Rights and Black Power movements forced a reckoning with how American historians wrote and researched Reconstruction. In the 21st century, Black Reconstruction in America has become a tome cited widely by academics and activists alike.

But what does Black Reconstruction in America mean for the historical profession in the 2020s? Du Bois’s interpretation of Reconstruction as an effort at genuine reform that was thwarted by the American government is well understood. But the question remains: how might we continue to engage–and perhaps even extend–Du Bois’s analysis in Black Reconstruction in America today? The recent works of Kidada Williams, Manisha Sinha, Don H. Doyle and others have challenged us to think more critically about this period of American history. Building on this scholarship, we encourage scholars to pose new questions–or revisit older ones with a new lens–to tease out the intricacies of the Reconstruction era.

We also encourage writers to consider how Du Bois’s Black Reconstruction in America can inform a myriad of contemporary issues–including the ongoing efforts to keep Black history and the perspectives of Black writers out of the classroom. Du Bois’s pioneering book, published against the backdrop of the Great Depression, was a direct refutation of the false narratives emerging from leading white scholars of the Dunning School. In their portrayal of Reconstruction, the Dunning School scholars had portrayed the South as victims and the North as having committed a “grievous wrong.” Their writings on the subject treated the free and enslaved Black population with “ridicule, contempt or silence,” as Du Bois explained. Black Reconstruction in America boldly confronted racial stereotypes and mischaracterizations of Black intellectual ability. The work stood as an example of how Black historians have taken an active role in confronting political abuses of the past. How might Black Reconstruction in America inform the research and writing of Black intellectual history in the United States and across the globe?

On the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the book, we encourage scholars to grapple with the significance and continued relevance of Du Bois’s Black Reconstruction in America. We especially welcome submissions that grapple with the intersections of race, gender, class and nationality. Writers are also welcome to submit essays on other general topics related to the period of Reconstruction. Topics include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Gender in Black Reconstruction in America
• Intellectual history of Black Americans during Reconstruction
• International (and transnational) dimensions of Reconstruction
• The impact of Reconstruction on Black intellectuals in the United States 
• Public memory and Reconstruction

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About the Journal

Global Black Thought, the official journal of the African American Intellectual History Society (AAIHS), is devoted to the study of the Black intellectual tradition. The journal, published by the University of Pennsylvania Press, features original, innovative, and thoroughly researched essays on Black ideas, theories, and intellectuals in the United States and throughout the African diaspora. Global Black Thought publishes historically based contributions by authors in diverse fields of study throughout the humanities and social sciences.

While steeped in historical methodologies, Global Black Thought is an interdisciplinary journal informed by scholarship in Africana studies, feminist theory, and critical race theory. The journal welcomes submissions that feature original research and innovative methods. We also extend an invitation to scholars working outside the United States.

Global Black Thought opens new directions for writers interested in understanding the ideas, theories, and ideologies that undergird Black social and political life. The journal encapsulates the best of scholarly research and innovative methods. Essays highlight the wide range of methods and methodologies, including new approaches and diverse and underutilized primary sources–both traditional and unconventional ones. In addition to well-researched, cutting-edge, and deftly argued essays, each issue of the journal features book reviews as well as interviews with influential Black intellectuals whose research is shaping the field.

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