American Book Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 19 (1998) Winner
Angela Y. Davis
アンジェラ・イヴォン・デイヴィス
Angela Y. Davis
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1944-01-26 （Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.）
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Religion
- Episcopal (Episcopal Church USA)
- Residence History
- Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. → New York City (Greenwich Village), U.S. → Waltham, Massachusetts (Brandeis University) → Frankfurt, West Germany → Berlin (East Germany; doctoral studies) → Oakland, California, U.S. → Santa Cruz, California (UC Santa Cruz), U.S.
Career
- Occupations
- activist, scholar, philosopher, author, professor
- Active Years
- 1960-
- Affiliations
- Communist Party USA (including Che-Lumumba Club affiliation), Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism (CCDS), Black Panther Party (affiliate), Critical Resistance (co-founder), University of California, Santa Cruz (Feminist Studies / History of Consciousness)
- Memberships
- Communist Party USA (former long-time member), Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism (founding member), Black Panther Party (affiliate / collaborator)
- Influenced By
- Herbert Marcuse, Frankfurt School, Karl Marx, Black liberation thinkers (e.g., George Jackson)
- Influenced
- Contemporary prison abolition activists, Scholars of Black feminism and intersectionality, Academic figures such as Ruth Wilson Gilmore
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brandeis University | — | French (later interest in philosophy) | BA (magna cum laude) | 1961–1965 | United States |
| University of Frankfurt | — | Graduate studies in philosophy | — | 1965–1967 | West Germany |
| University of California, San Diego | — | Philosophy (graduate work) | MA | 1967–1968 | United States |
| Humboldt University of Berlin (partial) | — | Doctoral studies (incomplete) | — | 1970s（中断） | East Germany |
| University of Cambridge (honorary) | — | — | Honorary Doctor of Letters | 2025 | United Kingdom |
Brandeis University
French (later interest in philosophy)
Degree:
BA (magna cum laude)
Period:
1961–1965
Year of Graduation:
1965
Country:
United States
Studied French and increasingly philosophy; graduated magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa.
University of Frankfurt
Graduate studies in philosophy
Period:
1965–1967
Country:
West Germany
Graduate work in Frankfurt; exposure to the Frankfurt School.
University of California, San Diego
Philosophy (graduate work)
Degree:
MA
Period:
1967–1968
Year of Graduation:
1968
Country:
United States
Completed an MA while studying with Herbert Marcuse; some PhD-related manuscripts were later confiscated by the FBI.
Humboldt University of Berlin (partial)
Doctoral studies (incomplete)
Period:
1970s（中断）
Country:
East Germany
Completed some doctoral work but did not receive a PhD at that time.
University of Cambridge (honorary)
Degree:
Honorary Doctor of Letters
Period:
2025
Year of Graduation:
2025
Country:
United Kingdom
Awarded an honorary Doctorate in Letters (2025).
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Lenin Peace Prize | — | — | Soviet Union | 受賞 |
| — | Inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame | — | — | National Women's Hall of Fame | 受賞／選出 |
| 2011 | Blue Planet Award (ethecon) | — | — | ethecon / Blue Planet Award | 受賞 |
| 2025 | Honorary Doctorate (Doctor of Letters) | — | — | University of Cambridge | 授与 |
| 2025 | José Muñoz Award | — | — | CLAGS (The Center for LGBTQ Studies) | 受賞 |
Lenin Peace Prize
1979
Organization:
Soviet Union
Result:
受賞
Inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame
Organization:
National Women's Hall of Fame
Result:
受賞／選出
Blue Planet Award (ethecon)
2011
Organization:
ethecon / Blue Planet Award
Result:
受賞
Honorary Doctorate (Doctor of Letters)
2025
Organization:
University of Cambridge
Result:
授与
José Muñoz Award
2025
Organization:
CLAGS (The Center for LGBTQ Studies)
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Women, Race and Class
1981 Nonfiction / Social theoryA historical and theoretical examination of the intersections between gender, race, and class in the United States, presented in essays and analysis.
feminismracismclasshistorical analysis
Are Prisons Obsolete?
2003 Nonfiction / Political theoryA critical examination of the U.S. prison system arguing for abolitionist perspectives and considering alternatives to incarceration.
prison abolitioncriminal justice policyhuman rightsracial injustice
Freedom Is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement
2015 Essays / Political commentaryConnects recent protest movements and international solidarity—especially Ferguson and Palestine—to argue for the continuity of struggles for freedom.
international solidarityhuman rightsprotest movementsBlack Lives Matter
Angela Davis: An Autobiography
1974 AutobiographyAn autobiographical account covering her early life, civil rights activism, arrest and trial, and subsequent political and intellectual development.
autobiographycivil rightspolitical activismintellectual formation
Bibliography
- If They Come in the Morning: Voices of Resistance (1971)
- Angela Davis: An Autobiography (1974)
- Joan Little: The Dialectics of Rape (1975)
- Women, Race and Class (1981)
- Women, Culture & Politics (1990)
- Blues Legacies and Black Feminism (1998)
- Are Prisons Obsolete? (2003)
- Abolition Democracy: Beyond Prisons, Torture, and Empire (2005)
- The Meaning of Freedom: And Other Difficult Dialogues (2012)
- Freedom Is a Constant Struggle (2015)
Adaptations
- Angela Davis: Portrait of a Revolutionary (documentary, 1972)
- The Black Power Mixtape 1967–1975 (documentary, 2011; features rare interviews)
- 13th (documentary, 2016; features Angela Davis)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- critical-theory oriented, essayistic stylebridges academic analysis and activist discourselectural/essay tone
- Recurring Motifs
- critique of prisons and incarcerationintersection of race and genderinternational solidaritycritique of capitalism and calls for social change
Legacy
Angela Davis is a leading intellectual and activist linking civil rights, feminism, and the prison abolition movement. Through writings, lectures, and organizing she has influenced academic and grassroots movements internationally, advocating justice and prison reform.
Academic Societies
- American Academy of Arts and Sciences (elected)
Archives
- National United Committee to Free Angela Davis collection (Main Library, Stanford University)
- Meiklejohn Civil Liberties Institute (trial transcript archive)
- Angela Y. Davis Papers (Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University)
- UCLA archives (records related to dismissal and related materials)
In Popular Culture
- Referenced in songs (e.g., The Rolling Stones' "Sweet Black Angel")
- Murals and portraits worldwide; frequent appearances in documentaries
- Established as an iconic figure of 1970s liberation movements
Quotes
-
We are facing a common enemy and that enemy is Yankee Imperialism, which is killing us both here and abroad.
Source: Speech (1969) (1969)
Trivia
- Placed on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list in 1970 (one of the earliest women to be listed).
- Acquitted of all charges in 1972 after a widely publicized trial.
- Recipient of multiple international awards and honorary degrees (e.g., Lenin Peace Prize; honorary doctorates).
- Frequently referenced in music and visual art (e.g., John Lennon, The Rolling Stones).