Uncontrollable Blackness: The Crucible of Black Criminality

The following is an excerpt from Douglas J. Flowe’s Uncontrollable Blackness: African American Men and Criminality in Jim Crow New York, which recently won the American Historical Association’s 2021 Littleton-Griswold Prize. Early twentieth-century African American men in northern urban centers like New York faced economic isolation, segregation, a biased criminal justice system, and overt racial attacks by police and citizens.… Continue Reading Uncontrollable Blackness: The Crucible of Black Criminality

North Carolina Writers’ Network Fall 2021 Conference

We’re proud to announce our sponsorship of the North Carolina Writers’ Network Fall 2021 Conference! From November 19th – 21st, NCWN will be hosting their Fall 2021 Conference with one class led by one of our authors and another led by two UNC Press employees. Visit NCWriters.org to register for the conference today! Georgann Eubanks, author of Saving the Wild… Continue Reading North Carolina Writers’ Network Fall 2021 Conference

“Flyleaf: The Wilmington Ten”, NC Department of Natural & Cultural Resources’ Monthly Facebook Live Conversation Featuring Dr. Kenneth Robert Janken and Mr. Sean Palmer

Earlier in October, the North Carolina Department of Natural & Cultural Resources’ hosted their monthly Flyleaf Facebook Live conversation with UNC Press author Kenneth Robert Janken and UNC Wilmington’s Director of the Upperman African American Cultural Center Sean Palmer. Palmer and Janken discussed Janken’s book The Wilmington Ten: Violence, Injustice, and the Rise of Black Politics in the 1970s and… Continue Reading “Flyleaf: The Wilmington Ten”, NC Department of Natural & Cultural Resources’ Monthly Facebook Live Conversation Featuring Dr. Kenneth Robert Janken and Mr. Sean Palmer

Upcoming Tour Dates with Michael Graff and Nick Ochsner, Co-Authors of “The Vote Collectors”

“A fine-grained and vivid account of the 2018 North Carolina congressional race that was overturned because of electoral fraud…Throughout, the authors weave in intriguing bits of local color and draw trenchant connections to fraud claims in the 2020 presidential election. This doggedly reported chronicle sheds light on America’s political dysfunctions.”—Publishers Weekly Charlotte journalists Michael Graff and Nick Ochsner will be… Continue Reading Upcoming Tour Dates with Michael Graff and Nick Ochsner, Co-Authors of “The Vote Collectors”

Just Twelve Words, and the Long History of American Genealogy

The following is a guest blog post by Francesca Morgan, author of A Nation of Descendants: Politics and the Practice of Genealogy in U.S. History . A Nation of Descendants traces Americans’ fascination with tracking family lineage through three centuries. Francesca Morgan examines how specific groups throughout history grappled with finding and recording their forebears, focusing on Anglo-American white, Mormon, African… Continue Reading Just Twelve Words, and the Long History of American Genealogy

Three UNC Press titles win American Historical Association 2021 Prizes!

Congratulations to these UNC Press titles who were American Historical Association 2021 Prize Winners! The AHA offers annual prizes honoring exceptional books, distinguished teaching and mentoring in the classroom, public history, and other historical projects. Since 1896, the Association has conferred over 1,000 awards. This year’s finalists were selected from a field of over 1,400 entries by nearly 150 dedicated… Continue Reading Three UNC Press titles win American Historical Association 2021 Prizes!

Commemorating the Battle of Gettysburg Through Consumer Spending

The following is a guest blog post by Jill Ogline Titus, author of Gettysburg 1963: Civil Rights, Cold War Politics, and Historical Memory in America’s Most Famous Small Town. In this fascinating work, Jill Ogline Titus uses centennial events in Gettysburg to examine the history of political, social, and community change in 1960s America. Examining the experiences of political leaders,… Continue Reading Commemorating the Battle of Gettysburg Through Consumer Spending

Schomburg Center’s Conversations in Black Freedom Studies Series, “Understanding Policing and Surveillance in America” with Daniel S. Chard, Victoria Law, Marisol LeBrón and Stuart Schrader

Last week, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture hosted a conversation titled “Understanding Policing and Surveillance in America” for their Conversations in Black Freedom Studies series. Moderated by Dr. Jeanne Theoharis and Dr. Robyn C. Spencer, UNC Press author of Nixon’s War At Home: The FBI, Leftist Guerrillas, and the Origins of Counterterrorism Daniel S. Chard spoke with authors Victoria… Continue Reading Schomburg Center’s Conversations in Black Freedom Studies Series, “Understanding Policing and Surveillance in America” with Daniel S. Chard, Victoria Law, Marisol LeBrón and Stuart Schrader

Frank Porter Graham and Academic Freedom

The following is a guest blog post by William A. Link, author of Frank Porter Graham: Southern Liberal, Citizen of the World. Frank Porter Graham (1886–1972) was one of the most consequential white southerners of the twentieth century. Born in Fayetteville and raised in Charlotte, Graham became an active and popular student leader at the University of North Carolina. After earning… Continue Reading Frank Porter Graham and Academic Freedom

In Memoriam: Stephen V. Ash

We are saddened to learn that noted Civil War historian and UNC Press author Stephen (Steve) V. Ash passed away on October 10, 2021. “Steve was a skilled social historian of the South in the Civil War era, and one who mastered the art of writing deeply researched books that were approachable for the trade while still earning the respect… Continue Reading In Memoriam: Stephen V. Ash

Grampa Fed Me Nettles

The following is a guest blog post by Lytton John Musselman, co-author of Edible Wild Plants of the Carolinas: A Forager’s Companion. With Edible Wild Plants of the Carolinas, Lytton John Musselman and Peter W. Schafran offer a full-color guide for the everyday forager. Edible Wild Plants of the Carolinas is designed to help anyone enjoy the many wild plants found in… Continue Reading Grampa Fed Me Nettles

2021 American Studies Association Annual Meeting

We hope you’ll visit our virtual booth for the American Studies Association 2021 annual meeting. There you can browse our new and recent titles in American Studies and connect with editors Mark Simpson-Vos, Brandon Proia, and Lucas Church. In addition to all of the great titles on display, we also have several relevant series that we want to be sure… Continue Reading 2021 American Studies Association Annual Meeting

Race, Removal, and the Right to Remain: Removal and the British Empire

Happy Indigenous Peoples’ Day! We’re happy to be celebrating the first-ever presidential proclamation of this day in which we appreciate Native Americans and their land that we colonized and continue to occupy. In an effort to help celebrate this new proclamation, read an excerpt from Samantha Seeley’s Omohundro Institute and UNC Press recently published book, Race, Removal, and the Right to Remain: Migration and the… Continue Reading Race, Removal, and the Right to Remain: Removal and the British Empire

Executive Editor Elaine Maisner’s interview with Jean Casimir, author of The Haitians: A Decolonial History

The following is a Q&A between UNC Press Executive Editor Elaine Maisner and Jean Casimir, author of The Haitians: A Decolonial History. The Haitians: A Decolonial History, which opens with an eloquent foreword by Walter Mignolo, was translated by Laurent Dubois. The original book, Une lecture décoloniale de l’histoire des Haïtiens de 1697 à 1915, was published in 2017 by Imprimerie Lakay in… Continue Reading Executive Editor Elaine Maisner’s interview with Jean Casimir, author of The Haitians: A Decolonial History

Cuban Memory Wars: An Evening with Michael Bustamante

Back in April, author of Cuban Memory Wars: Retrospective Politics in Revolution and Exile, Michael J. Bustamante held a virtual talk in partnership with Books & Books and The Cuban Research Institute. In this talk, Bustamante speaks with Dr. Jorge Duany, the Director of the Cuban Research Institute and Professor of Anthropology in the Department of Global & Sociocultural Studies… Continue Reading Cuban Memory Wars: An Evening with Michael Bustamante

Retaliation in the Headlines

The following is a guest blog post by Lorien Foote, author of Rites of Retaliation: Civilization, Soldiers, and Campaigns in the American Civil War. Blending military and cultural history, Lorien Foote’s rich and insightful book sheds light on how Americans fought over what it meant to be civilized and who should be extended the protections of a civilized world. Happy Book… Continue Reading Retaliation in the Headlines

Mark Twain, Publisher, and His Confederate Masquerade

The following is a guest blog post by Stephen Cushman, author of The Generals’ Civil War: What Their Memoirs Can Teach Us Today. In this insightful book, Stephen Cushman considers Civil War generals’ memoirs as both historical and literary works, revealing how they remain vital to understanding the interaction of memory, imagination, and the writing of American history.  Why did… Continue Reading Mark Twain, Publisher, and His Confederate Masquerade

The Shadow of El Centro: Introduction

The following is an excerpt from the introduction of Jessica Ordaz’s The Shadow of El Centro: A History of Migrant Incarceration and Solidarity. Bounded by desert and mountains, El Centro, California, is isolated and difficult to reach. However, its location close to the border between San Diego and Yuma, Arizona, has made it an important place for Mexican migrants attracted… Continue Reading The Shadow of El Centro: Introduction

Mental Illness Awareness Week Reading List

Today’s reading list is focused on mental health as we enter Mental Illness Awareness Week, recognized from October 3rd to October 9th. “Since 1990, when Congress officially established the first full week of October as MIAW, advocates have worked together to sponsor activities, large or small, to educate the public about mental illness.” Below you’ll find a list of various… Continue Reading Mental Illness Awareness Week Reading List

Caribeños at the Table: Setting Hispanic Caribbean Tables in New York City

The following excerpt is from “Setting Hispanic Caribbean Tables in New York City” in Melissa Fuster’s Caribeños at the Table: How Migration, Health, and Race Intersect in New York City. People in Hispanic Caribbean communities in the United States present high rates of obesity, diabetes, and other diet-related diseases, conditions painfully highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Both eaters and dietitians… Continue Reading Caribeños at the Table: Setting Hispanic Caribbean Tables in New York City