Ashley D. Farmer is an Associate Professor of History and African and African Diaspora Studies at the University of Texas at Austin, where she teaches courses on African American women's history, the Black Freedom Movement, and Black archival practices. Her scholarly work centers on Black women's intellectual production and activism, particularly during the Black Power era. Her research interests include African American History, African American Women's History, Black Political Thought, Intellectual History, and Radical Politics. Farmer's work challenges traditional narratives that marginalize Black women's contributions to social movements, demonstrating how Black women shaped and transformed political ideologies through intellectual work, community organizing, and cultural production. Farmer's scholarship reveals trends across Black women's intellectual history, showing how they developed intersectional frameworks for understanding oppression and liberation long before the term 'intersectionality' was coined. Her work connects historical activism with contemporary movements, highlighting the continuity of Black women's political thought across generations. Stone Book Award finalist Darlene Clark Hine Award honorable mention Letitia Woods Brown Memorial Book Award honorable mention Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study fellowship National Endowment for the Humanities fellowship Whiting Foundation fellowship Organization of American Historians Distinguished Lecturer Farmer has advised numerous graduate students and served as a founding leader of the African American Intellectual History Society (AAIHS). She is a regular blogger for Black Perspectives and co-editor of both the Black Power Series (NYU Press) and the Black Women History Series (UNC Press). Her research has been supported by significant grants from the Radcliffe Institute, NEH, and Whiting Foundation. Farmer directs research initiatives through the African American Intellectual History Society and contributes to the Black Perspectives online platform, which serves as a hub for scholars of African American history. Her work connects academic research with public engagement through media appearances on NPR, Al-Jazeera, and in publications like The New York Times and Washington Post.
