The Quest for Identity and Agency as a Black Scholar and Human Rights Activist
Combatting Invisibility and Gaining Legitimacy
Author(s): Charles P. Henry

Discover the powerful intersection of education, identity, and human rights activism.

Publication Date 18 June, 2025 Available in all formats
ISBN: 9781917503105
Pages: 240

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How does one overcome invisibility and gain legitimacy in an individualized society?

In his compelling book, The Quest for Identity and Agency as a Black Scholar and Human Rights Activist, Charles P. Henry explores his involvement in two pivotal social movements: the search for social identity and the fight for civil and human rights. Starting with personal experiences of place, memory, family, Black Studies, and reparations, Henry's narrative expands to broader issues like the Black diaspora, global community, and intersectionality.

Henry was one of the few Black students in his cohort and the first in his family to attend college. He navigated the educational landscape during movements for equality and justice, challenging the established order. This work explores how he found his place in these movements.

This book is a valuable resource for students in American politics, race and politics, human rights, peace and conflict Studies, and social movements. It also appeals to educators, activists, policymakers, and anyone interested in social identity, legitimacy, and community in the quest for justice.

Charles P. Henry is Professor Emeritus at the University of California at Berkeley, with current research focusing on Afrofuturism.

About The Book

How does one overcome invisibility and gain legitimacy in an individualized society?

In his compelling book, The Quest for Identity and Agency as a Black Scholar and Human Rights Activist, Charles P. Henry explores his involvement in two pivotal social movements: the search for social identity and the fight for civil and human rights. Starting with personal experiences of place, memory, family, Black Studies, and reparations, Henry's narrative expands to broader issues like the Black diaspora, global community, and intersectionality.

Henry was one of the few Black students in his cohort and the first in his family to attend college. He navigated the educational landscape during movements for equality and justice, challenging the established order. This work explores how he found his place in these movements.

This book is a valuable resource for students in American politics, race and politics, human rights, peace and conflict Studies, and social movements. It also appeals to educators, activists, policymakers, and anyone interested in social identity, legitimacy, and community in the quest for justice.

About The Author

Charles P. Henry is Professor Emeritus at the University of California at Berkeley, with current research focusing on Afrofuturism.

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It's a rare memoir that captures the granular detail of the writer's life while transforming it into a deep understanding of the historical, cultural and political context in which the writer lives. In his "Quest for Agency as a Black Scholar and Human Rights Activist" Charles Henry does this with eloquence, irony and humor. Growing up in one of the few black families in a small town in Ohio, he becomes a pioneer in the field of African American Studies and the search for multiracial identity in American culture and society. His search turns into an odyssey as he deftly navigates through academic politics and moves into the broader struggle for civil rights and democracy at home and abroad. He compares the degradation of rights and the rise of authoritarianism after the Civil War with today's backlash against civil rights and the return of racist politics. Henry's quest concludes with an appeal for expansion of the notion of empathy. If we can see ourselves as the other, we can come to accept that others have all the rights that we have. This is a challenging and enthralling journey, described by an insightful guide who is as clear as a modern Odysseus.

John Shattuck
President Emeritus
Central European University
I found "The Quest for Identity and Agency as a Black Scholar and Human Rights Activist" inspiring, fascinating, and enlightening. There's nothing like an insider's view to peel away the veneer from popular history. One unexpected pleasure that has stayed with me since devouring the book last fall is the author's deeply informed commentary on current American politics. Refracted through a historian's understanding of the forces that have long shaped both our culture and politics, its contextualization of the rise of fascism in America is so valuable. The juxtaposition of President Andrew Johnson's bigotry and cruelty with Donald Trump's, for example, is a powerful reminder of why we need to know and understand the dangerous and invidious forces that have shaped our history, lest we be unable to recognize the character and gravity of the threats that confront us today. This book is brisk, vividly drawn, uplifting, and always personal, like a memorable conversation with friends. A wonderful read.

—David Hinkley, human rights activist and former chairperson of Amnesty International USA