Souls: A Critical Journal of Black Politics, Culture and Society at UIC

Souls is a quarterly interdisciplinary journal founded in 1999 and published by Taylor & Francis. It is housed in the African American Studies department of the University of Illinois at Chicago and edited by historian and activist Barbara Ransby.

The journal was inspired by two academic publication projects initiated by W.E.B. Du Bois: The Atlanta University Series of annual research readers published in the late 19th-early 20th century; and Phylon journal, founded by Du Bois at Atlanta University in 1940. Its strategic objective is to use Du Boisian social and political theory as a starting point for examining the radical potential of the field of African-American Studies. The journal explores the intellectual debates that are central to the work of scholars and activists, challenging our understanding of history, politics, social theory, and culture in ways that create new possibilities for a democratic praxis and pursuit of social justice. Produced in the spirit of the intellectual activism of W. E. B. Du Bois, Souls presents creative and challenging interpretations of the key issues now being confronted by scholars of modern black diaspora.

The Department of African American Studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) was established in 1971 in response to strong faculty, student and community demand that UIC become more open and accessible to the diverse citizens in Chicago. The department provides an interdisciplinary curriculum to undergraduate majors and minors and its award-winning faculty members offer coursework in sociology, political science, history, English, and psychology. With its urban location and commitment to community engagement, the African American studies department offers an exciting opportunity for all students interested in examining the experiences of black communities in the US, Latin America, Africa, and the Caribbean.

Mailing Address:

Souls: A Critical Journal of Black Politics, Culture, and Society
Department of African American Studies (MC 069)
University of Illinois at Chicago
601 S. Morgan,
Chicago, IL 60607

souls@uic.edu