- Black women’s educational and intellectual
history
- Early 20th century U.S. and higher education history (Jim Crow & the Jazz Age)
- Research methods in African American history
- Cultural identity, community service-learning, and experiential
education
RESEARCH NARRATIVE
My research interest is Black women's academic history. Primarily grounded in history, my
work is inherently interdisciplinary and addresses questions in history, identity studies, and education. Specifically, I investigate areas of Black feminism and comparative humanism pertaining to higher education. My main interests advance the expanding of ideas and practices about intellectual democracy and educational equity.

I
focus mainly on Black women's pre-1954 participation in higher education.
I also explore leading educators' contributions to academic
praxis. Intellectual history, development of higher education in the
United States, and trends in educational opportunity underlie interest
in women such as Mary Annette Anderson, Willa Player, Anna Julia
Cooper, and Mary McLeod Bethune. Other areas of interest are U.S.
social history between Emancipation and school desegregation, Black
women's 20th century organizations, the impact of cultural
identity on educational attainment and social mobility, and the connection of higher education to performing arts and social justice movements.
My manuscript on
Black women's educational history, Black Women in the
Ivory Tower, 1850-1954: An Intellectual
History, was published by the University
Press of Florida (February 2007). The first run of cloth has sold out and the paperback edition became available in May 2008. Black Women in the Ivory
Tower chronicles Black women's struggle for access to higher
education and presents historic philosophies of influential scholars.Part One, an educational
history, begins in 1850, when Oberlin conferred the first
college diploma upon Lucy Stanton and continues through the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision.Part Two, an intellectual
history, presents Black women's philosophies of higher
education between Anna Cooper's 1892 A Voice from the South and Mary McLeod Bethune's 1955 "Last Will and
Testament." This story reveals how Black women demanded space as
students and asserted their voice as educators, contributing in
significant ways to higher education in the United States.
In addition to producing a book manuscript, I have sought to
advance the interdisciplinary fields of Black studies and women's
studies. By co-editing books and publishing articles in journals such as GRIOT, Journal of
African American History, International Journal of Women's
Studies, Black Women, Gender, & Families, Feminist Teacher, International Journal of the Humanities, and African American Research Perspectives, I engage in national and international discussions about the
relationship between academic scholarship and cultural identity.
Historic African American women educators utilized experiential
education to foster transformation of both colleges and communities.
My praxis of applied learning is central to my research agenda. I have
focused on Black women's intellectual production and how their
thought can advance current imperatives to recruit and support a
diverse student and faculty population in higher education.
I reluctantly call myself a historian. Though I study history and use historiographical methodologies, my main frames of philosophical, theoretical, and methodological approaches are grounded in the interdisciplines of Black studies and women's studies. However, as both areas are interdisciplinary, I often categorize myself as a historian.
My work in historiography is inspired by scholars from Richard Marius and Benjamin Quarles to Ellen DuBois, Darlene Clark Hine, and Deborah Gray White. My philosophical assumptions of academic work in history encompasses at least four areas:
- I use history to connect the past to the present for identity, order, understanding, and survival; I argue that history is not value free.
- I agree with those who see history as dynamic--it represents both continuity and change. History of previously marginalized populations are not merely stories of victimization; there are varying tensions between race, class, gender, religion, and many other characteristics of people, places, objects, and ideas in all demographics. As historians change, so does the account of history.
- My historiography is interdisciplinary and creative as much as it is rigorous and "scientific" (I adhere to certain traditional standards of excellence, even as I challenge others).
- I experience history as a useful means toward the goal of social justice. Thus, it is imperative to create an intellectual democracy--providing educational access as both a human and civil right--to increase historical knowledge and broaden human understanding by ensuring marginalized populations the right of self-definition.
My work lies at the intersection of African American, women's, educational, and intellectual history. My eras of interest are Jim Crow, Jazz Age, and the Civil Rights Movement because these time periods reflect the foundations of African American women's intellectual contributions.
- 2006 University of Dar es
Salaam, East Africana
Library.
University of Florida Gender and Development Faculty Exchange
Program. Tanzania, East Africa.
- 2003 & 2005 Moorland-Spingarn Research
Center, Manuscript Division. Howard University,
Washington, D.C.
- 2003 University of Florida Paris Research
Center, Scholar-in-Residence Program.
Reid Hall. Paris, France.
- 1999 Haas Center for Public
Service, Post-baccalaureate Summer Research
Intern. Stanford University.
- 1998 University of Gama Filho,
History of Sport Conference. “A Cultural Framework for the
Study of Sport History in Brazil.”Paper
presentation, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.
- 1998 California State University, Long
Beach, McNair Program. “The Quality of
Rights: A Literary Analysis of the United Nations’ Universal
Declaration of Human Rights and the United States’ Bill of
Rights.”
- 1997 California State University, Long
Beach, McNair Program. “How Solid is
the Rock?: Gauging the Historical
Accuracy of Schoolhouse Rock.”
Books
|
Evans, Stephanie Y., Taylor,
Colette, Dunlap, Michelle, & Miller, DeMond.(Eds.) African Americans and
Community Engagement in Higher Education. SUNY Press.
(Expected Summer 2009). |
|
Christian, Mark. & Evans, Stephanie Y. (Eds). Africana Studies at the Graduate Level: A Twenty-First Century Perspective. Special Edition, International Journal of Africana Studies. Issue 14.
(Expected Spring 2009). |
Refereed Journal Articles
Evans, Stephanie Y. (2008). "Gender and Research in the African Academy: 'Moving Against
the Grain' in the Global Ivory Tower." Black Women, Gender, & Families. Fall, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 31-52.
Evans, Stephanie Y. (2008) "Mary McLeod Bethune's Research Agenda: Thought Translated to Work." African American Research Perspectives. Spring, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 22-39.
Evans, Stephanie Y. (2007) "Women of Color in American Higher Education." Thought & Action. Fall, vol. 23, pp. 131-38.
Evans, Stephanie Y. (2006) "The State and Future of the Ph.D. in Black
Studies: Assessing the Role of the Comprehensive
Examination." Griot: Southern Conference on
African American Studies. Spring, May 2006. vol.
25, no. 1, pp. 1-16.
Evans, Stephanie Y.(2006) "Major Service: Combining Students' Academic
Disciplines with Community Service-Learning in an Introductory
Women's Studies Course." Feminist Teacher. vol. 17, no. 1, pp. 1-14.
Evans, Stephanie Y.(2006) "'I Was One of the First to See Daylight':
Black Women at Predominantly White Colleges and Universities in
Florida since 1959." Florida Historical Quarterly. vol. 85, no. 1, pp. 42-63.
Evans, Stephanie Y.(2006) "This Right to
Grow": African American Women's Intellectual
Legacy." International Journal of the Humanities. vol.
3, no. 7, pp. 163-74.
Book Chapters
Evans, Stephanie Y. (2008) "The Vision of Virtuous Women: Alpha
Kappa Alpha Sorority's Founding Twenty Pearls." In, Black
Greek Letter Organizations in the 21st
Century: Our Fight Has Just Begun. Gregory S.
Parks, Editor. University Press of Kentucky [CHAPTER PREVIEW ON BLACK GREEK SCHOLAR]
Featured
Publications (invited, non-refereed)
Evans, Stephanie Y. (2008) "Ethel Hedgeman Lyle." African American National Biography. Oxford University Press. vol. 5, p. 334.
Evans, Stephanie Y. (2005) "Recent Research Rewrites Society' History with Identity of
First Black Woman Member." Phi Beta Kappa The Key
Reporter. Winter, February 2005. pp. 3, 9, 14.
Evans, Stephanie Y. (2004) "Black Greek-lettered
Organizations and Civic Responsibility." Black Issues in
Higher Education. October 7, 2004. p. 98.
Costa, Margaret D. Evans, Stephanie Y. & Haralson,
Evelyn (1998) "A Cultural
Framework for the Study of Sport History and Brazil." VI Congresso Brasileiro De Historia Do
Esporte, Lazer E Educacao Fisica Gama Filho University Press: Rio
De Janeiro, Brazil. December 1998. pp. 39-45.
Accepted for Publication
Evans, Stephanie Y. "African American Women and International Research: Dr. Anna Julia Cooper's Legacy of Study Abroad." Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad.
Citations in Scholarly Research
Peter Wallenstein (January 2008) Higher Education and the Civil Rights Movement University Press of Florida.
Marybeth Gasman (December 2007) "Swept Under the Rug? A Historiography of Gender and Black Colleges." American Educational Research Journal.
Derrick Alridge (November 2007) "The Educational Ideas of Anna Julia Cooper and W.E.B. Du Bois, 1892-1940" History of Education Quarterly.
Maura Murphy (March 2007) "Sisters are Doing It For Themselves: The Impact of Professional Development Programs for Women." Master's Thesis, North Carolina State University.
Under
Review / Work in Progress
Invited book chapter on Rose Butler Browne.
Invited book chapter on Black men in U.S. higher education.
Book
Reviews
Evans, Stephanie Y. (2008) The Early Black History Movement, Carter G. Woodson, and Lorenzo Johnsonton Greene By Pero G. Dagbovie. Journal of American History. vol. 95, no. 1, pp. 234-35.
Evans, Stephanie Y. (2007) Atlas of Race, Ancestry, and Religion
in 21st-Century Florida By Morton D. Winsberg. Florida Historical
Quarterly. vol. 85, no. 2, pp. 254-56.
Evans, Stephanie Y. (2006) Before His Time: The Untold Story of
Harry T. Moore, America's First Civil Rights Martyr By Ben
Green. Journal of African American
History. vol. 91, no. 2, p. 223.
Evans, Stephanie Y. (2005) Black Body:
Women, Colonialism, and Space By Radhika Mohanram.
Journal of International Women's Studies. vol. 6, no. 2, pp.
171-73.
Evans, Stephanie Y. (2002) Smart and Sassy: The
Strengths of Inner-City Black Girls By Joyce West Stevens.Sex
Roles: A Journal of Research. August 2002, vol. 47, nos. 3/4, pp.
199-200.
Evans, Stephanie Y. (2001) Modeling
Good Service-Learning Course Preparation: Two New Useful Guides for
Faculty and Students. Book Review Essay: Reaching Out to Children & Families: Students Model Effective Community Service By
Michelle Dunlap and Fundamentals of Service-Learning Course
Construction By Kerri Heffernan Campus Compact Reader:
Service-Learning and Civic Education. vol. 2, no. 1, pp.
18-21.
Additional
Contributions
Evans, Stephanie Y. (Ed.) (2008) "Discussions in Jazz History: Research Methods, Themes, and Locations." Student Papers. Online collection compiled for the Gainesville Cotton Club Museum & Cultural Center.
Evans, Stephanie Y. (2006) "What would an ideal home for historians of education look like?" Online discussion group post. "Where do Historians of Education Live?" H-Education.
Evans, Stephanie Y. (2001) Service Learning Resource Guide for
Faculty. Office of Community
Service-Learning: University of Massachusetts.
Evans, Stephanie Y. (2001) Creative Service Learning: A Multilevel
Resource Guide for Faculty. Connecticut
Campus Compact: Trinity College.
Evans, Stephanie Y. (1999) Community
Service Learning Center Faculty Resource Handbook(The Red Book). Office of
Community Service-Learning: California State University, Long
Beach. |