It’s Black History Month and we are looking for your help to Diversify our Collections. If there are any relevant books we do not have, either in print or electronically, that you believe that we should, please let us know and we will look into adding these to our collection.
We have set some funds aside for this and will purchase titles throughout October while these funds remain. Please contact us at subjectteam@abdn.ac.uk with the details of your suggestions for purchase.
This continues work we have already been undertaking to diversify our collections. You can see a full list of titles already purchased under this initiative on our website.
Here is some more information about just a few of the titles we have added to our collection in the last year.
Why I’m no longer talking to white people about race by Reni Eddo-Lodge
You may recognise this title as it has been highly recommended across social media platforms since its release in 2017. Inspired by her 2014 blog post of the same title, Eddo-Lodge discusses issues such as eradicated black history, the link between class and race, whitewashed feminism, and the political purpose of white dominance. This book has received many accolades including the Non-Fiction Narrative Book of the Year 2018 by the British Book Awards and is a No.1 Sunday Times Bestseller. This book is an essential read to help understand race in a modern-day Britain.
If you prefer reading a physical book or listening to an audiobook, Aberdeen City Libraries have access to both here – https://bit.ly/3aSSLol.
Dr. Sue provides guidance on how to turn what may be an uncomfortable conversation into one that is meaningful and how to get over any fears you may have when talking about race. Showing how best to approach, navigate and facilitate conversations about race. He goes over how to identify when a conversation on race may be unproductive, social rules to keep in mind when talking about racial issues, race specific difficulties and misconceptions and advice for parents and educators on how to approach race more effectively. Dr. Sue has included specific chapters on why people of colour may find it difficult to have honest conversations about race. This book seems incredibly useful if you want to have more productive conversations about race and why a ‘colour-blind approach’ may not be very helpful.
bell hooks provides an essential and classic text in feminist literature. This book covers the impact of sexism on black women during slavery moving into the continuation of the devaluation of black women. She also looks at racism amongst feminists and black women’s involvement in feminism. This is a must read for those looking to expand their knowledge of feminism and read a text that has been deemed ground-breaking in the field.
It is also available as a physical book if you prefer, you can find the details here – https://abdn.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/44ABE_INST/1eeeind/alma990016699270205941
We have also compiled a short playlist on Box of Broadcasts to celebrate Black History Month: https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/ondemand/playlists/328235
We do hope you enjoy reading and learning from some of these titles and please let us know if you think our collection is missing any books, email subjectteam@abdn.ac.uk with any details.
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