ASWAD: Case Western Reserve Names First Postdoctoral Fellow in African American Studies

Case Western Reserve Names First Postdoctoral Fellow in African American Studies

A new postdoctoral fellowship in African American studies has launched with the beginning of the 2008-2009 academic year at Case Western Reserve University. The fellowship is the first of its kind at the university and will be directed by Rhonda Y. Williams, associate professor of history.

Laila Haidarali is the program's first fellow, chosen through a rigorous search process and from an international pool of applicants. Haidarali earned her doctorate from York University in Toronto in 2007. Prior to that, she received her master's degree in history from University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, and her bachelor's degree in history at Brescia College, University of Western Ontario.

During her one-year residency as an African American Studies Fellow in the history department, Haidarali will continue her research into African American women's history in the pre-civil rights era between 1920 and 1954. More specifically, Haidarali will examine ideas of beauty, sexuality, complexion and class among African American women. Read more - http://blog.case.edu/case-news/2008/09/19/africanamericanfellowship