Dr. Shirley Thompson

Biography

Shirley E. Thompson is an Associate Professor in the Department of American Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. She currently serves as the Associate Director of the John L. Warfield Center for African and African American Studies. Her research focuses on a book project titled "No Auction Block: African Americans and the Problem of Property," which traces the legacies of slavery and the encounters of African Americans with property ownership. This work specifically explores the interwoven concepts of race and property value from the perspective of African American historical memory, political economy, and expressive culture. The project utilizes methodologies from cultural history, literary criticism, performance studies, ethnography, and critical theory. Her previous book, "Exiles at Home: The Struggle to Become American Creole in New Orleans," examines the cultural history of New Orleans' French-speaking free people of color during the middle decades of the nineteenth century. Dr. Thompson was awarded the Ralph Henry Gabriel Dissertation Prize by the American Studies Association in 2001, and she holds a Ph.D. in History from Harvard University.

Research Interests

Awards