Edda L. Fields-Black facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Edda L. Fields-Black
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| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of Pennsylvania |
| Occupation | Historian |
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Notable work
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Deep Roots: Rice Farmers in West Africa and the African Diaspora (2008) |
| Spouse(s) | Samuel Black |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | Carnegie Mellon University |
| Thesis | Rice farmers in the Rio Nunez region: A social history of agricultural technology and identity in coastal Guinea, ca. 2000 BCE to 1880 CE (2001) |
Edda L. Fields-Black is an American historian. She teaches history at Carnegie Mellon University. She is well-known for her studies on how rice farming shaped societies in West Africa. She also researches the history of people of African descent around the world.
Contents
Early Life and Family Roots
Edda L. Fields-Black grew up in Miami. Her grandparents, Jim and Mamie Fields, helped raise her. They were Gullah speakers from Green Pond, South Carolina. The Gullah people are descendants of West Africans. They live in the Lowcountry region of South Carolina and Georgia. They have kept many parts of their African culture, including a unique language.
Her Journey in Education
Edda L. Fields-Black studied English and History at Emory University. She then earned a master's degree in history from the University of Florida. Later, she went to the University of Pennsylvania. There, she earned two more degrees: another master's and a PhD. For her PhD, she wrote about the history of rice farmers. Her research focused on the Nunez River area in Guinea, West Africa.
Exploring History Through Research
Dr. Fields-Black has done a lot of research on rice farming. She studied how it developed in coastal Guinea and Sierra Leone. She also explores the history of the Gullah Geechee people. Her work helps us understand the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. This was when millions of Africans were forcibly brought to the Americas. She also studies other important topics in African-American history.
Dr. Fields-Black also studies West African languages. She has focused on the Rio Nunez languages. These include the Nalu language and other Mel languages. These languages are part of a larger group called Atlantic languages.
Personal Life
Edda L. Fields-Black is married to Samuel Black. He is also a historian. Samuel Black works as a curator and archivist. He directs African-American programs at the Senator John Heinz History Center. In 2006, they were featured on an episode of StoryCorps. This show airs on NPR's Morning Edition. In the episode, Samuel talked to Edda about his life and work.
See Also
- Rio Nunez languages
- Mel languages
- Oryza glaberrima (African rice)
