In 1955, C. Vann Woodward’s book The Strange Career of Jim Crow provoked an extended scholarly debate about the timing and practices of segregation in the immediate years after Reconstruction.  In the 1990s, scholars moved this debate onto new intellectual terrain by focusing on the relationship between gender and politics, the culture of resistance, and the hegemonic function of “whiteness.”  But where does the field stand now?  This lecture series, held on March 13, 2008, reconsidered the history of the early years of Jim Crow in light of recent developments in African American and Native American studies, the history of cross-cultural and multi-racial exchanges, and emerging efforts to place the New South in a global context. 

Webb Lecturers: 
Natalie Ring, University of Texas, Dallas; Theda Purdue, University of North Carolina; Mia Bey, Rutgers University; and Jane Dailey, The University of Chicago

Walter Prescott Webb (1888-1963) was intimately associated with The University of Texas, but his influence extended far beyond Austin to embrace Texas, the Southwest, and the world.  His roots were in Texas, but his inquiry encompassed time and space from the Rio Grande to the Great Plains and the Great Frontier.  Webb's association with The University of Texas at Arlington was long and close.  He repeatedly asserted that this institution had a bright future, urged his and other graduate students to join its faculty, and followed its growth in size and stature with the special interest of a  man seeing his prophecies fulfilled.  The Department of History respectfully dedicates these lectures to the memory of Walter Prescott Webb.  Originally, the Walter Prescott Webb Memorial Lectures and their publication were made possible by a generous endowment from C.B.Smith, Sr., a longtime Austin business leader.

For more information about previously published volumes or upcoming lecture series, please write Joyce S. Goldberg, Chair of the Webb Lectures Committee, Department of History, Box 19529, UTA, Arlington, TX 76019-0529. Or contact her by telephone (817) 272-2863 and/or email: goldberg@uta.edu .