{{Short description|American Black studies scholar (1940–2022)}} '''James E. Turner''' (1940{{Spaced en dash}}August 6, 2022) was an American Africana studies scholar. He was the founding director of the Cornell Africana Studies and Research Center.
== Biography == Turner was born in 1940 in Brooklyn,<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Smith |first=Robert |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dtyPEAAAQBAJ&dq=%22Turner,+james%22+africana&pg=PA596 |title=Encyclopedia of African-American Politics, Third Edition |date=2021-05-01 |publisher=Infobase Holdings, Inc |isbn=978-1-4381-9939-9 |pages=596 |language=en |chapter=Turner, James}}</ref> in a family of eight children.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last= |date=2022-08-19 |title=In Memoriam: James E. Turner, 1940-2022 |url=https://jbhe.com/2022/08/in-memoriam-james-e-turner-1940-2022/ |access-date=2024-03-21 |website=The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education |language=en-US}}</ref> His father was working class, and Turner attended the High School of Fashion Industries.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nutt |first=David |title=James Turner, a 'giant' of Africana studies, dies at 82 |url=https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2022/08/james-turner-giant-africana-studies-dies-82 |access-date=2024-03-21 |website=Cornell Chronicle |language=en}}</ref> He grew up in Manhattan. Before he entered college, he worked in the garment industry and as a social worker. From 1963 to 1966 he attended Central Michigan University, earning a sociology degree and also studying political economy.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />
The year of his graduation, Turner entered Northwestern University as a graduate student in the African Studies program. While a student there, he was involved in student-activism, and led the Black graduate student association. In that role he was involved in protests for the establishment of a Black Studies program, including a 1968 sit-in of the university bursar department. This advocacy raised his profile to the national level, and he traveled around the country.<ref name=":0" /> Turner received a master's degree from Northwestern.<ref name=":1" />
Turner was appointed as the director of Cornell University's newly formed Africana Studies and Research Center (ASRC) in June 1969. Seven years later he earned a PhD from Union Graduate School.<ref name=":0" /> Turner remained director of the ASRC until 1986, and was again director from 1996 to 2001.<ref name=":1" />
While Turner was leading the ASRC, the center was burnt down,<ref name=":1" /> by what Turner alleged was arson.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Turner |first=James |date=April 6, 1970 |title=Statement: Africana Fire |url=https://cdsun.library.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/cornell?a=d&d=CDS19700406.2.19&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN-africana+center+fire+probe------ |access-date=2024-03-21 |website=The Cornell Daily Sun}}</ref> At Cornell, Turner wrote papers about his view of how Black Studies should be approached, a concept he termed "Africana", which the ''Encyclopedia of African-American Politics'' defined as "an interdisciplinary Pan African approach to blackness focusing on the US, the Caribbean and Africa." He also studied Black nationalism and politics in the US and Africa.<ref name=":0" />
Turner died on August 6, 2022.<ref name=":1" />
== Personal life == Turner was married and had three kids.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cusolito |first=Kara |date=2011-10-12 |title=Lasting Impact: James and Janice Turner have made their mark on Ithaca |url=https://www.ithaca.com/news/lasting-impact-james-and-janice-turner-have-made-their-mark-on-ithaca/article_b7f8db52-f45e-11e0-8920-001cc4c002e0.html |access-date=2024-03-21 |website=Ithaca Times |language=en}}</ref>
== References == {{Reflist}}
== Further reading ==
* {{Cite journal |last1=Fenderson |first1=Jonathan B. |last2=Katungi |first2=Candace |date=2012 |title="Committed to Institution Building": James Turner and the History of Africana Studies at Cornell University, an Interview |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/43525478 |journal=Journal of African American Studies |volume=16 |issue=1 |pages=121–167 |jstor=43525478 |issn=1559-1646}} * {{Cite book |last=Downs |first=Donald Alexander |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g4wtDwAAQBAJ |title=Cornell '69: Liberalism and the Crisis of the American University |date=2012-09-04 |publisher=Cornell University Press |isbn=978-0-8014-6615-1 |language=en}} * {{Cite book |last=Brown |first=Scot |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sileEAAAQBAJ |title=Discourse on Africana Studies: James Turner and Paradigms of Knowledge |date=2017-08-12 |publisher=Diasporic Africa Press |isbn=978-1-937306-22-9 |language=en}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Turner, James E.}} Category:1940 births Category:2022 deaths Category:Cornell University faculty Category:Black studies scholars