Michelle R. Scott

Professor Michelle R. Scott is a faculty member in the Department of History at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), with affiliate appointments in Africana Studies, Gender, Women’s + Sexuality Studies, and the Language, Literature, and Culture Doctoral Program. She is a full professor whose work bridges historical, cultural, and gender studies.

Her research centers on 20th-century U.S. history, African American history, women’s history, civil rights, and Black musical culture. She has published extensively on the cultural and social dimensions of African American life, particularly through the lens of music and performance. Her scholarship explores the intersections of race, gender, and urban development in the American South.

Professor Scott’s recent publications reflect a strong focus on African American entertainers and cultural institutions, particularly during the Jazz Age. Her work emphasizes the role of Black vaudeville and blues in shaping national identity and resistance. Themes of gender, agency, and cultural expression recur across her research.

• Institute of Citizens and Scholars (Woodrow Wilson) Career Enhancement Fellowship
• Smithsonian Institution Senior Fellowship
• Dresher Center Fellowship
• 2015 Univ. of Maryland Regents’ Award for Excellence in Mentoring
• 2015-2018 UMBC Presidential Teaching Professor
• 2017 Letitia Woods Brown Article Prize (ABWH)

She mentors master’s students in Historical Studies and doctoral students in the LLC program, with a focus on African American and women’s history. Her advising has helped students gain admission to top graduate programs including Georgia State University, American University, Morgan State University, and Ohio State University. She has been recognized for excellence in both teaching and mentorship.

While no formal lab or research center is mentioned, her work is deeply collaborative and interdisciplinary, involving archival research, cultural analysis, and public engagement, including contributions to media such as HBO’s film Bessie.