JBHE’s Annual Citation Ranking of Black Scholars in the Humanities

For three of the past four years Paul Gilroy, formerly of Yale University, who now holds the Anthony Giddens Professorship in Social Theory at the London School of Economics, has led JBHE’s annual citation rankings of black scholars in the humanities. In past years Professor Gilroy was always in a tight race for the top spot with Nobel laureate and Princeton University professor emeritus Toni Morrison and Harvard University’s Henry Louis Gates Jr. This year the contest was a runaway. Professor Gilroy had 140 citations and Professor Gates was second with 85.

Paule Marshall, New York University professor and author of Brown Girl, Brownstones and many other books, moved from eighth place last year to third place this year. Her citation count increased from 51 in 2006 to 79 this year. Toni Morrison’s citations decreased from 100 in 2006 to 75 in 2007, placing her in fourth place. Novelist Alice Walker had 64 citations in 2007, placing her in fifth position in our survey.

Copyright © 2008. The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. All rights reserved.