Author: cas00175

A) What have been the major obstacles you have faced in putting a research project together?
One of the first obstacles I faced was actually narrowing down what I wanted to research within my topic. I wanted to research a topic within the Civil Rights Movement during the 1960’s however as this covers a range of different things, I struggled to come up with a question. Another obstacle I faced was coming to terms and understanding what primary sources I would use and which ones would be more easily accessible. I have planned to use newspapers in my dissertation, however it was a struggle to decide which few I should pay close attention to and making sure that I was able to access what I needed.

b) What strategies have you adopted to overcome these obstacles?
After doing a lot of research and figuring out what I would be best at, I was able to come up with a question which would suit me best. I was also given the help and opinions of my tutor, who really did help me to write the question which I would find most interesting in writing about. When it came to looking at primary sources, I made sure to do as much research as I possibly could and was successful on deciding which two newspapers I would be looking at. I also made sure that these newspaper archives would be easily accessible to me, making it much easier.

c) What has this taught you about approaching your dissertation?
After being faced with a number of obstacles and overcoming them, I have realised that it is important to be organised and to make sure that I am putting in as much research as I possibly can in order to make it easier for myself. By doing all of this, it will make my dissertation writing less stressful as I should be prepared as much as I possibly can be.

d) Which aspects of the 9X6 module have been the most useful in helping you get your project ready to start?

I would say the 9X6 module has made me realise how much work will be involved and required of me to produce the best dissertation that I can. I feel it has given me a very good head start to thinking more about the dissertation and means that I hopefully won’t be as stressed out when it comes to it. It has also allowed me to gather a great bibliography of primary and secondary sources, making me feel more prepared.

For my dissertation I was very interested in looking into the Civil Rights Movement in America during the 50’s and 60’s. As it is such a wide topic, I have chosen to look at ‘The Politics of the Memory of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King’, where I will be looking at the memorialization of X and King in the US and also outside of the US.

Secondary Sources

1. Martin Luther King, Jr.: History and Memory, Reflections on Dreams and Silences
Harry A. Reed
The Journal of Negro History
Vol. 84, No. 2 (Spring, 1999), pp. 150-166 (17 pages)
Published by: The University of Chicago Press on behalf of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History

This is a journal that I found on JSTOR when looking to find something on Martin Luther King. This source includes the history and memory on King and talks about some of the important and unforgettable speeches made by him.

2. The King’s Body: The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial and the Politics of Collective Memory
Kevin Bruyneel, History and Memory, Vol. 26, No. 1 (Spring/Summer 2014), pp. 75-108 (34 pages)

This is another article that I found on JSTOR and it examines the politics of memory stemming from the development and reception of the Martin Luther King Jr. National memorial and stone of Hope statue of king in Washington D.C. I picked this source as I will be looking at the memory that both King and Malcolm X left and believe this will help to answer that question.

3. The Political and Social Relevancy of Malcolm X: The Stability of African American Political Attitude.
Darren W. Davis and Christian Davenport ,The Journal of Politics, Vol. 59, No. 2 (May, 1997), pp. 550-564 (15 pages)
Published by: The University of Chicago Press on behalf of the Southern Political Science Association

This source looks into how the most recent Malcolm X film has had an impact and influence on political attitudes among African Americans and how the film led them to become more racially conscious and more concerned about race relations. These are just some of the sources so far that I have found and wanted to use.

Primary sources

1. https://cnu.libguides.com/peoplecivilrightsam/malcolmx

Watch Malcolm X Debate at Oxford, Quoting Lines from Shakespeare’s Hamlet (1964)

This link leads you to a video of Malcolm X when he went to Oxford University in 1964 to deliver a speech on the racial and social problems which were going on in America. He uses his trademark claim that ‘ liberty can be attained by whatever means necessary’, and that ‘intelligently directed extremism’ will achieve liberty far more effectively than pacifist strategies. It is a very powerful speech as he also uses Shakespears Hamlet to justify his claim of ‘ by whatever means necessary’ position. It’s also powerful to see a black man deliver this speech to a room full of English white men, with who many were impressed with his speech.

2. https://cnu.libguides.com/peoplecivilrightsam/malcolmx
http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/45a/071.html
For an extra primary source, I found the eulogy for Malcolm X, which was given by Ossie Davis who was a fellow activist and close friend of both X and King. Some of the things mentioned in this eulogy are very powerful and show the impact that Malcolm X had on his followers.

3.The Papers of Martin Luther King, Jr
Carson, Clayborne, Ralph Luker, and Penny Russell. The Papers of Martin Luther King, Jr. Volume I: Called to Serve, January 1929-June 1951. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1992.

I found this seven- volume source in the university’s library, and decided to pick this as it has a comprehensive collection of Kings most significant sermons, speeches, published writings and unpublished manuscripts.

Hello, my name is Caitlin and I am from Stirling so have just commuted to university since I started. For my dissertation topic I am not entirely sure on what I am looking to do, but would have an interest in the topic of race and maybe looking at the civil rights movement back in the 1950’s and 60’s in America. As for studying at home and not being able to go into the uni has been a big change but I am slowly getting use to this new normality.