In this lecture, Professor Barbara Savage will explore the fascinating topic of ‘Living History: Merze Tate and Modern Black Womanhood .’ She says:

“The black woman scholar Merze Tate began in the 1930s to develop her ideas about modern black womanhood. In the 1970s, nearing the end of her career, Tate served as both an interviewer and an interviewee for Harvard’s Black Womens Oral History Project, a still-invaluable resource in African American and women’s history. That work brought full circle Tate’s ideas about black women’s lives. Looking at her life and those of the women she interviewed raises questions about the ways that intellectual biography can trouble and unsettle prevailing historical narratives, including about modern black women.”

The ‘Uncovering Women’s History’ lecture series aims to explore women’s empowerment and the contribution of women and other marginalised minorities across history.