Dr. Karen Ferguson

Biography

I am a White settler, born in Regina, Saskatchewan on land of the Blackfoot/Niitsítapi, Métis, and Sioux. My research interests lie in U.S. history with a focus on twentieth-century African American studies, policy, and urban history. I have published two books on these subjects: 'Black Politics New Deal Atlanta,' which examines the efforts of elite African American reformers to utilize federal welfare programs during the Great Depression and World War II to improve the conditions of Atlanta’s Black community under the constraints of the Jim Crow era, and 'Top Ford Foundation, Black Power, Reinvention of Racial Liberalism,' which analyzes how the White policy establishment engaged with and sought to shape Black-power activism in New York City during the 1960s and 1970s. Currently, I am working on a new research project with a colleague that explores the spread of Theravadin Buddhist monasticism on the West Coast of North America from the 1980s, as well as its cultural consequences amidst the region's convergence of global middle-class, highly skilled Asian migrants. I supervise graduate students focusing on twentieth-century urban history, African American history, and post-Reconstruction public policy.

Research Interests

Experience

Awards