An Interpretive History of Black America

Colin Alphonsous Palmer was born on March 23, 1944, in Lambs River, Jamaica. He earned a bachelor¿s degree in 1964 at University College of the West Indies at Mona in Jamaica and was considering teaching secondary school when he was offered a graduate fellowship at the University of Wisconsin. He earned a master¿s degree there in 1966 and a Ph.D. in 1970. He became a historian and published his first of many books in 1976 - Slaves of the White God: Blacks in Mexico, 1570-1650. It chronicled a period when the colonies that would become the United States were still in their formative stages. The book set him on a career-long path. Professor Palmer urged students to consider whether the term "African diaspora" was even appropriate, given the cultural and linguistic diversity within the African continent, and to make sure that any examination of diaspora began with a study of Africa itself.

Professor Palmer also wrote well-regarded articles and books on the Caribbean countries, including - Eric Williams and the Making of the Modern Caribbean (2006), about the historian and politician who led Trinidad and Tobago to independence. In an academic career of more than 40 years, he taught at Oakland University in Michigan, the University of North Carolina, the City University of New York Graduate Center and Princeton University.

Colin A Palmer passed away on June 20, 2019 at the age of 75.

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