1st Edition
Diversity and Philanthropy at African American Museums Black Renaissance
1. Diverse Patrons, Diverse Values 2. African American/All-American 3. Doing Well by Doing Good 4. The Connoisseur’s Eye 5. A New Generation 6. Rethinking Cultural Patronage in a Diverse Age Appendix 1: African American Museums: Basic Characteristics Appendix 2: Methods
Biography
Patricia A. Banks is a sociologist of culture with a focus on the African diaspora. She is a 2018–2019 Mellon Fellow at CASBS at Stanford University, USA, and has previously been in residence as a Fellow at the Hutchins Center at Harvard University, USA. She is Associate Professor of Sociology at Mount Holyoke College, USA.
What is the future, and what is the past, of the African American Museum? In Diversity and Philanthropy at African American Museums: Black Renaissance(Routledge, 2019), Patricia Banks, an associate professor of sociology at Mount Holyoke College, explores the rise of the African American museum and its patrons and philanthropists. Combining sociology of culture with organisational and institutional analysis, the book offers both contemporary and historical analysis of some of the most important cultural institutions in America. Crucially, the book restates the importance of understanding race to sociology of culture, particularly in understanding elites. The book also reveals the changing nature of giving, with younger patrons expecting a different mode of engagement, as well as distinctive political and collecting practices. The book is essential reading across social science and humanities, as well as museum and arts professionals, and anyone interested in contemporary culture." - Dave O'Brien, Newbooksnetwork.com
