Robin Muhammad
Education
- Ph.D. History, Carnegie Mellon University
- M.S. History and Social Policy, Carnegie Mellon University
- B.A. History and Spanish Literature, University of California at Davis
Areas of Expertise
- Student Growth Development
- Digital Program Development
- Community Engagement and Outreach
- Budget Management
- Historical Research and Preservation
- Campus & Community Initiatives
- Academic Advising and Mentorship
- Policies & Procedures Development
- Fundraising and Resource Management
- Faculty Performance Management
- Strategic Operations Management
- Scholarly Research
Research Interests
- U.S. Labor and Economic History
- African American Social and Political History
- Shipbuilding and Shipbreaking Industries
Courses Taught
- African American History I (AAS 1010)
- African American History II (AAS 2020)
- Introduction to African American Studies (AAS 1060)
- Difficult Dialogues: Race, Law, and Religion in the U.S. (AAS 1900)
- Introduction to Black Political Economy (AAS 2200)
- History of the African American Worker (AAS 2250)
- African American Political Thought (AAS 3680)
- U.S. Constitutional Law: Pre-Civil Rights Movement (AAS 3691)
- Black Press in North America (AAS 369E)
- Health Care Disparities in the U.S. (AAS 4693)
- Special Topics in Racial Passing and Racial Trauma (AAS 4900)
- Politics of Race (POLS 4739)
- Survey of African American History (HIST 5150)
Biography
Robin Dearmon Muhammad is Associate Professor of History in the Department of African American Studies. Muhammad earned her M.S. and Ph.D. at Carnegie Mellon University and started working at Ohio University in 2005. She is a contributing author in a global history of shipyard workers, Shipbuilding and Ship Repair: Workers around the World: Case Studies 1950-2010 (Amsterdam Press and University of Chicago Press, 2017)
Muhammad is serving her second term as Chair of the Department of the African American Studies from 2012 to 2020 and served as the Director of the African American Research Service and Institute at Ohio University from 2013 to 2020. Her work on Black labor has been internationally recognized. Currently, her research is uncovering the range of physical and mental health consequences of toxic exposure in heavy industry and service sector occupations.
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Teaching Interests
Through the linking of theory and praxis in African American studies, my teaching offers concrete experiences for students to understand interdisciplinarity readily. I have edited two volumes of African American history and developed additional teaching materials that are flexible enough to tie in with visual media, fiction, spoken-word performance, and music. Theoretical discussions can be daunting to students, but I have found that deeper conversations and examples of sources are rewarding to them.
Moreover, I bring my own research into the classroom and expose students to current debates and several sources, including some newly discovered sources.
Publications
‘I will see that something is done’: African American women and organizing against workplace bullying, harassment, and violence in the San Francisco Bay Area shipyards during World War II. Labor History, 1–21.
"Hot to toxic: shipyard metal workers and the pursuit of health and safety standards in the United States, 1940 to 1990" (Accepted by the International Labor and Working-Class History journal).
Forging a Laboring Race: The African American in the Progressive Imagination. Lawrie, Paul R. D. (2018) Journal of American Ethnic History, 37(2), 85-87. Book Review.
Charting a New Course: U.S. Shipbuilding Labor, 1950-2014. Shipbuilding and Ship Repair Workers around the World. Eds.: Raquel Varela, Hugh Murphy, and Marcel van der Linden. Amsterdam University Press. Chapter. 2015.
Western Alliances and the Colored Farmers’ Alliance. The Encyclopedia of American Populism. ABC-CLIO. 2014.
A Bridge of Ships: Canadian Shipbuilding during the Second World War. Labour/Le Travail, Issue 71 (Spring), 257-259. Book Review: Pritchard, J. (2013).
Sociology of Work: An Encyclopedia. SAGE Publications. Entries: Military; Unskilled Work. 2013.
African American History, Volumes I and II (2012, 2013). Ed.: Robin Dearmon Muhammad. Cognella Publishing.
"Separate and Unsanitary: African American Women Car Cleaners and the Women’s Service Section, 1918-192," Journal of Women’s History, 23(2), 87-111. 2011 Awarded Honorable Mention by the JWH in 2014.
"Linking Up the Golden Gate: Garveyism in the San Francisco Bay Area, 1919-1925,". Journal of Black Studies, 39(2), 266-280. 2008.
Proud to Be an Okie: Cultural Politics, Country Music, and Migration to Southern California. Labor: Studies in Working-Class History of the Americas, 5(2), 144-146. Book Review. La Chapelle, P. (2008).
Arsenal of Liberation: African American Workers and Shipbuilding in the San Francisco Bay Area (book manuscript) Forthcoming
"Garveyism Looks Toward the Pacific," Perspectives journal online.
Presentations and Awards
- Awarded Fellowship at the Institute of Critical Social Inquiry at The New School, New York City, 2024
- Certificate of Appreciation for Service to the Human Relations Commission, City of Davis, 2024
- Achieved Ohio University Newsmakers Award in 2014, 2017, & 2019.
- Nominated for the Presidential Teaching Award at Ohio University in 2015 & 2018.
- Recognized with the International Travel Fund at Ohio University in 2013 & 2015.
- Selected as a nominee for University Professor at Ohio University in 2015.
- Earned Honorable Mention for Best Article Award in the Journal of Women’s History in 2014.
- Received the Arts & Humanities Junior Faculty Endowment Award at Ohio University in 2007.
- Granted the 1804 Grant: Special Library Endowment Award at Ohio University in 2007.
- Acknowledged with the Goldman Award for Excellence in Graduate Teaching at Carnegie Mellon University.
Selected University Service
- Co-chair, MLK Celebration Committee, 2013
- Member, University Curriculum Council
- Member, Advisory Board for Global Studies Program
- Member, Black Alumni Reunion Advisory Committee