ok... I've now got all but 2 of my home study books, and I've set myself a rather hurculean task... but that's fine, in fact I'm starting to get really excited.

Right now I've been work-busy, working 6 days a week to beg, borrow or buy books.

Also I've been busy planning the scope and structure of what I'll be reading and some projects, essay topics etc and putting together some activities as well as reading.
There are some fantastic online resources... quizes, projects, bibliographies etc.

I have a LOT of books to read... and absorb... mostly on African America but also Indigenous Australia, and I'll be posting my actual booklist soon so you can take a look, approve, disapprove, comment on, or give advice and hopefully, guidance where you see it needed.

I'll post the book list for each of my study areas, in the approriate thread so people can 'dip in' to an area of interest to them.

Rather than choosing to study one area exhaustively, I've decided on 6 areas of study:
1. History: Africa & the Diaspora
2. History: The Civil Rights Movement
3. Urban Culture
4. African American Fiction & Poetry
5. Media: African American & Indigenous Australian Film
6. African & Indigneous Australian Philosophy

I just started a new thread called "Your Recommendations" where I welcome you to post books or constructive suggestions on projects or essays or people I should 'know about' or suggestions to keep my reference objective and also broad-based.

Further down the track, there are couple of people on AA.org I'd like to contact to do an online interview with. More later on that. Noone need panic yet.
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This message has been edited. Last edited by: FireFly,

Well, even though it's Friday night in Sydney, I have to work tomorrow... so it's good night from me but I'll be back soon to post lists and catch up on a few outstanding PM's. It's been a very long day and it aint over yet... and not enough...

Did you already study the Atlantic Slave trade? Or, the reconstruction period after the American Civil War and what that meant to the ex-slaves?

hello Diamond...
I've been reading what I can up to now but have several excellent - an weighty books to read. I'll post my list tomorrow. There seems to be a lot of new books being published on the Atlantic Slave Trade recently.

Nowdays if I pick up a book on 'The Women Who Built America' and flick through and just see white faces, I think what a load of.... and shove it back on the shelf.

The reconstruction era is harder to find actual books on - Jim Crow and the mass migration are two areas I've had little or no real knowledge of... I am working through a project on the segregation of the 'Jim Crow' period - UN-freakin-believable can't fish from the same boat, look out the same window -

...and I have a 1991 book on order called Promised Land by Nicholas Lemann - which I hope will fill in gaps about the migration period that up to now I've had lots of questions and no real info about.

Both of these periods are mind-numbing. I'll have more to say (and more to ask on this) later. Thanks for dropping by...

OK... I've gotten my reading time more organized - which has been quite a challenge as I've been working lots of irregular shifts - days and hours.

What's working for me is on shorter days, going to a cafe and reading for an hour or more before I travel home from work. That way I find less distractions... coz once I get home there's always something to do. I buy a pot of black GunPowder tea and when the whole pot is cold and tasting waaay too strong then I know I should only stay in the cafe another half an hour or so lol.

I'm reading the first few books back to back and making notes for questions for later.

Right now I've been sifting through a few questions I'd like to post soon from Bell Hook's book on media and image. I need to try to get hold of some of the films though first, to balance my view of her critique. I must say I like the way she writes and expresses her self and her views.

A few quite meaty questions will be posted in The Den fairly soon.

I'm also looking for volunteers to answer some other questions I'm building into a sort of questionnaire... if anyone wants to volunteer ahead of time, great! I'd like to get a gender and age mix. I'm also thinking about a project... but more on that later.

So many books, so many questions, so little time! But it's all good.
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For anyone who is interested... I've now organized my work hours to accommodate a lot more time to read my growing reading list. A commitment that translates to much less income for me, but a choice I see as valuable in terms of my goals.

Anyhoo, I've been doing lots of reading and attending what lectures/talks I can - so I haven't done much writing yet.

I've found some fantastic online resources - many with study topics and questions/projects, which give me a helpful framework.

I just finished reading the book I reviewed about the elderly in New York - African Americans, Latinos and Puerto Ricans and their different issues including a the social and financiall pressures of being the sole parent in their elder years of their grandchildren as well as the legacies of white flight, and the crack epidemic in the 70-80s. I want to reread this and pull out some issues for discussion at a later date.

I also attended a talk by Ester Fuchs who visited Sydney recently to talk about City infrastructure, and was the 'right hand' of Bloomberg and his efforts to renergize New York and provide more public housing over the last few years.

I'm now reading 2 books about Australia and colonial impact on indigenous people, and the emergence of the White Australia Policy, in regard to the Asian [pearl divers] population of Northern and North East Australia in the early 1900's. I've been attending lectures on early indigenous culture, their language and society.

I hope to attend an upcoming conference on Africa - the state of African studies in Australia, conflicts in Sudan, African Political Thought, the Gender Wage Gap in Eritrea and "Brand Africa".

I'm also reading The Promised Land by Nicholas Lemann.

So I've been busy! I'm learning a lot, and that leads to more questions. In the next few weeks I will PM several of you to ask if you would help me in answering some questionnaires. Meanwhile, if anyone would like to volunteer, I'd be very grateful. I know most posters are busy with new careers, study or just life in general, so I will keep it as uncomplicated time-aware as possible.

Until next time.