Joshua Clark Davis | University of Baltimore (original) (raw)

Books by Joshua Clark Davis

In the 1960s and '70s, a diverse range of storefronts—including head shops, African American book... more In the 1960s and '70s, a diverse range of storefronts—including head shops, African American bookstores, feminist businesses, and organic grocers—brought the work of the New Left, Black Power, feminism, environmentalism, and other social movements into the marketplace. Through shared ownership, limited growth, and workplace democracy, these "activist entrepreneurs" offered alternatives to conventional profit-driven corporate business models. By the middle of the 1970s, thousands of these enterprises operated across the United States—but only a handful survive today. Some, like Whole Foods Market, have abandoned their quest for collective political change in favor of maximizing profits.

Vividly portraying the struggles, successes, and sacrifices made by these unlikely entrepreneurs, From Head Shops to Whole Foods writes a new history of movements and capitalism by showing how activists embraced small businesses in a way few historians have considered. The book rethinks the widespread idea that the work of activism and political dissent is inherently antithetical to business and market activity. Joshua Clark Davis uncovers the historical roots of contemporary interest in ethical consumption, social enterprise, mission-driven businesses, and buying local while also showing how today's companies have adopted the language—but not often the mission—of liberation and social change.

Papers by Joshua Clark Davis

In the summer of 1968, veteran members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) op... more In the summer of 1968, veteran members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) opened a shop in Washington, D.C., the Drum and Spear Bookstore, that specialized in the writings of people of African descent. In addition to its brick-andmortar store, Drum and Spear ran a brisk mail-order distribution business for other black booksellers and, by 1969, even launched its own publishing company headquartered in Washington and Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. Drum and Spear was commercially ambitious, yet it was operated by a nonprofit organization, Afro-American Resources, Inc. “We don’t define profit in terms of money,” said SNCC activist and store cofounder Charlie Cobb. “The profit is the patronage of the community, which allows the store to self-support.”

The Sixties A Journal of History, Politics and Culture

Southern Cultures, 2011

States, record stores like Curt's (here) in Greensboro, North Carolina, were perhaps the place wh... more States, record stores like Curt's (here) in Greensboro, North Carolina, were perhaps the place where consumers most commonly interacted with people who made their living from popular culture. Conservative estimates su est that at least 400 to 500 blackowned record storesand probably closer to one thousand-were in operation throughout the region during this period. Photograph courtesy of Curt Moore (here), owner of Curt's.

Digital Humanities Projects by Joshua Clark Davis

Media and the Movement is a digital oral history initiative funded by the NEH. Principal investi... more Media and the Movement is a digital oral history initiative funded by the NEH. Principal investigators Joshua Clark Davis and Seth Kotch have interviewed nearly fifty activists of the Civil Rights and Black Power era who worked in media and are also making dozens of hours of previously unavailable activist radio recordings from the 1970s and ‘80s available online.

Bull City Soul is a humanities project on the social history of R&B, funk, and soul music in Afri... more Bull City Soul is a humanities project on the social history of R&B, funk, and soul music in African American community life in Durham, North Carolina.

Museum Exhibits by Joshua Clark Davis

News Articles by Joshua Clark Davis

Talks by Joshua Clark Davis

In the 1960s and '70s, a diverse range of storefronts—including head shops, African American book... more In the 1960s and '70s, a diverse range of storefronts—including head shops, African American bookstores, feminist businesses, and organic grocers—brought the work of the New Left, Black Power, feminism, environmentalism, and other social movements into the marketplace. Through shared ownership, limited growth, and workplace democracy, these "activist entrepreneurs" offered alternatives to conventional profit-driven corporate business models. By the middle of the 1970s, thousands of these enterprises operated across the United States—but only a handful survive today. Some, like Whole Foods Market, have abandoned their quest for collective political change in favor of maximizing profits.

Vividly portraying the struggles, successes, and sacrifices made by these unlikely entrepreneurs, From Head Shops to Whole Foods writes a new history of movements and capitalism by showing how activists embraced small businesses in a way few historians have considered. The book rethinks the widespread idea that the work of activism and political dissent is inherently antithetical to business and market activity. Joshua Clark Davis uncovers the historical roots of contemporary interest in ethical consumption, social enterprise, mission-driven businesses, and buying local while also showing how today's companies have adopted the language—but not often the mission—of liberation and social change.

In the summer of 1968, veteran members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) op... more In the summer of 1968, veteran members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) opened a shop in Washington, D.C., the Drum and Spear Bookstore, that specialized in the writings of people of African descent. In addition to its brick-andmortar store, Drum and Spear ran a brisk mail-order distribution business for other black booksellers and, by 1969, even launched its own publishing company headquartered in Washington and Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. Drum and Spear was commercially ambitious, yet it was operated by a nonprofit organization, Afro-American Resources, Inc. “We don’t define profit in terms of money,” said SNCC activist and store cofounder Charlie Cobb. “The profit is the patronage of the community, which allows the store to self-support.”

The Sixties A Journal of History, Politics and Culture

Southern Cultures, 2011

States, record stores like Curt's (here) in Greensboro, North Carolina, were perhaps the place wh... more States, record stores like Curt's (here) in Greensboro, North Carolina, were perhaps the place where consumers most commonly interacted with people who made their living from popular culture. Conservative estimates su est that at least 400 to 500 blackowned record storesand probably closer to one thousand-were in operation throughout the region during this period. Photograph courtesy of Curt Moore (here), owner of Curt's.

Media and the Movement is a digital oral history initiative funded by the NEH. Principal investi... more Media and the Movement is a digital oral history initiative funded by the NEH. Principal investigators Joshua Clark Davis and Seth Kotch have interviewed nearly fifty activists of the Civil Rights and Black Power era who worked in media and are also making dozens of hours of previously unavailable activist radio recordings from the 1970s and ‘80s available online.

Bull City Soul is a humanities project on the social history of R&B, funk, and soul music in Afri... more Bull City Soul is a humanities project on the social history of R&B, funk, and soul music in African American community life in Durham, North Carolina.