History In The Making

Delaware State University

As history is my area of expertise, I'm particularly interested in researching how history

affects how we perceive the present and how we remember the past. As a result, the field in

which I do my research is history, which has the potential to provide light on the nuanced ways

in which historical narratives influence how we perceive the world. History and my intended

career as a funeral director go hand in hand. Suzanne E. Smith is one academic whose work I

have found to be very fascinating in this area. Smith, a reputable academic with a history Ph.D.

from the University of Virginia I wish to obtain a better understanding of how history shapes our

present and aids us in making sense of the world by investigating Smith's work and the numerous

other insights that the field of history has to offer.

A renowned university that is frequently rated as one of the best in the nation for history,

Suzanne E. Smith holds a Ph.D. in History from the University of Virginia. After years of study,

examination of primary materials, and interaction with the most recent scholarship in her field,

Smith earned her Ph.D. in 2000. Smith was in a position to make substantial contributions to the

study of history thanks to his rigorous education and experience. Smith is a history professor at

George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, at the moment. She draws on her extensive

expertise and professional experience to instruct classes on American history, Black American

history, and public history. Black American history, public history, and the history of American

religion are Smith's particular academic specialties, all of which she has researched in-depth

during the course of her academic career.

 The history of Black American religion and its influence on African American culture

and politics is one of the specific subjects Smith has explored. Her research has illuminated the

manner in which religion has served as a platform for empowerment and community for

Throughout history, despite the many difficulties and barriers they encountered, black

people. Smith's work has advanced knowledge of the intricate and varied ways that religion has

impacted American history, especially for underrepresented groups. Suzanne E. Smith's article

"What's In A Name? Negro Spirituals and the Problem of Terminology," published in the Journal

of the Society for American Music in 2009, provides a critical analysis of the term "Negro

spirituals."The name and its use to denote a style of music developed by Africans who were

slaves in the United States are both covered by Smith. She draws attention to the phrase "Negro

spirituals" is problematic because it fails. JSTOR, a well-known and trustworthy academic

resource, is where the article was discovered. The word is the disciplinary idea that Smith

discusses in the piece."Negro spirituals." Smith provides fresh insight into the issues with this

term's use in describing the various musical genres produced by enslaved Africans in the US

through her research. Smith illustrates how the social and political conditions in which the term

was created have influenced its use by exploring the term's history and etymology. Her approach

sheds light on how language and terminology affect how we interpret historical events and

highlights the significance of appreciating the variety and diversity of the music and subjects

under study.

One theory mentioned in Smith's disciplinary research is the theory of cultural

appropriation. Smith argues that the use of the term "Negro spirituals" by white musicians and

scholars has been a form of cultural appropriation. This involves taking elements of another

culture and using them for one's own purposes without proper acknowledgement or respect for
the culture from which they originate. By using the term "Negro spirituals," white academics and

musicians have simplified and homogenized music into one genre, ignoring its complexity and

diversity. Smith's paper explains how she employed archival research as a method of

investigation to learn more about the background of Negro spirituals and the people who

produced them. Smith offers a nuanced and complex view of the history of Negro spirituals and

their place in American culture. She discusses her use of primary sources, such as slave

narratives and plantation records, to uncover the true origins of the music and to challenge the

prevalent narrative that the music was created by a homogeneous group of enslaved Africans.

Overall, this exercise has improved my understanding of history by emphasizing the

value of examining historical events and cultural phenomena through disciplinary lenses. Also, it

has shown the limitations of reductionist and oversimplified narratives as well as the critical role

that primary sources and archival research play in revealing the full complexity of historical

events.