- unitid
-
{"value"=>"188258", "type"=>"local_mss"}
{"value"=>"Sc MG 1018", "type"=>"local_call"}
{"value"=>"b23684434", "type"=>"local_b"}
- unitdate
-
{"value"=>"1920-2021", "type"=>"inclusive", "normal"=>"1920/2021"}
{"value"=>"1940-2007", "type"=>"bulk", "normal"=>"1940/2007"}
- unittitle
-
{"value"=>"Hollis R. Lynch papers"}
- physdesc
-
{"format"=>"structured", "physdesc_components"=>[{"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"67 boxes", "unit"=>"containers"}, {"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"27.58 linear feet", "unit"=>"linear_feet"}]}
- repository
-
{"value"=>"<span class=\"corpname\">Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division</span>"}
- abstract
-
{"value"=>"Hollis Lynch (born 1935) is a Tobagonian scholar of African history and professor emeritus at Columbia University. Lynch's papers, dating from 1920 to 2021 (bulk dates 1940 to 2007), trace his career as a researcher and educator with subject files; correspondence; and primary sources and notes used for his academic writings. The collection also holds personal files, and materials related to Richmond Great House, an 18th century plantation home in Tobago owned by Lynch."}
- langmaterial
-
{"value"=>"English"}
- origination
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{"value"=>"Lynch, Hollis Ralph, 1935-", "type"=>"persname"}
- bioghist
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{"value"=>"<p>Hollis Ralph Lynch is a Tobagonian scholar of African history. Born on April 21, 1935 in John Dial, Tobago, Lynch attended Hope EC School and Bishop's High School on the island before studying history at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. He went on to receive his PhD in history from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London in 1964. Lynch wrote his thesis about Edward Wilmot Blyden, the West Indian-born Liberian diplomat who is considered the father of Pan-Africanism. Lynch would continue to focus his scholarship on Pan-Africanism throughout his career.</p> <p>Following a two-year stint as a lecturer at the University of Ibadan in Nigeria, Lynch moved to the United States in 1966. He enjoyed associate professorships at Roosevelt University in Chicago, Illinois from 1966 to 1968, and the State University of New York at Buffalo from 1968 to 1969, where he developed one of the nation's first Black studies programs. Lynch was subsequently hired as a professor of Black and Pan African studies at Columbia University, where he served as director of the Institute for African Studies from 1971 to 1974, and again from 1986 through the 1990s. In 1981, Lynch became Columbia's first faculty-in-residence at Wallach Hall. In 2005, he became professor emeritus at Columbia.</p> <p>Along with his professorship at Columbia, Lynch has been a visiting professor to Harvard University, Vassar College, and Emory University. He has lectured at dozens of institutions on topics related to Pan-Africanism, African Americans, the Caribbean, and African nationalism.</p> <p>Lynch is the author or co-author of several books, including <span class=\"title\">Edward Wilmot Blyden: Pan-Negro Patriot, 1832-1912</span> (1967), <span class=\"title\">The Black Urban Condition: A Documentary History, 1866-1971</span> (1973), and <span class=\"title\">Black American Radicals and the Liberation of Africa: The Council on African Affairs, 1937-1955</span> (1978). Additionally, Lynch has edited the published papers of Edward Wilmot Blyden, as well as a series of biographies of notable Black figures for Oxford University Press. He has written articles for journals such as <span class=\"title\">The Journal of African History</span>, <span class=\"title\">New African</span>, and <span class=\"title\">Journal of the Historical Society of Nigeria</span>; and contributed entries to <span class=\"title\">Collier's Encyclopedia</span> and <span class=\"title\">Encyclopedia of World Biography</span>.</p> <p>Lynch spent decades researching the life and career of Kingsley Ozumba (K.O.) Mbadiwe, the 20th century Nigerian diplomat and nationalist who co-founded the African Academy of Arts and Research. Lynch wrote the first major biography of Mbadiwe, <span class=\"title\">K.O. Mbadiwe: A Nigerian Political Biography, 1915-1990</span>, published in 2012.</p> <p>Over the course of his career, Lynch has held memberships in professional organizations such as the American Historical Association, African Studies Association, Organization of American Historians, and Caribbean Studies Association. He has also received honors for his scholarship and writing. As an undergraduate at the University of British Columbia, Lynch was awarded the Annie Southcott Memorial Prize for best honors essay in history. For the 1973-1974 academic season, he was a Hoover Institution National Fellow. In 2012, Lynch was inducted into the Tobago Literary Hall of Fame.</p> <p>In 1973, Lynch purchased Richmond Great House, an 18th century plantation home in Tobago that serves as a tourist attraction and residence for guests. Lynch became the first Black owner of the home in its 200-year history, and he filled the interior with African artifacts and furniture.</p> <p>Lynch was previously married to Sharon Fisher Lynch. He has four children: Shola, Nnenna, Ashale, and Oklemeno. As of 2025, Lynch lives in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City.</p>"}
- scopecontent
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{"value"=>"<p>The Hollis R. Lynch papers, dating from 1920 to 2021 (bulk dates 1940 to 2007), trace the life and career of the Tobagonian historian. The collection highlights Lynch's research; professional duties at Columbia University and other institutions; and his influence as a notable Black historian and shaper of Black studies programs at American universities. It also offers insight into Lynch's personal life and ownership of the Tobagonian plantation home Richmond Great House.</p> <p>Lynch's papers contain professional and personal correspondence, primary materials and notes used for his academic writings, and subject files. The research materials include documents related to modern African history and the Pan-Africanism movement of the 19th and 20th centuries. In particular, there are many primary sources gathered by Lynch for his research into K.O. Mbadiwe and the African Academy of Arts and Research.</p> <p>Original folder titles, supplied by Lynch, are maintained whenever possible.</p>"}
{"value"=>"<p class='list-head'>The Hollis R. Lynch papers are arranged in four series:</p>\n<ul class='arrangement series-descriptions'>\n<li><div class='series-title'><a href='/scm/188258#c1796253'>Series I: Subject Files</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1959-2007</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>7.92 linear feet (19 boxes)</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>Series I contains Lynch's subject files, dating from 1959 to 2007. This series focuses on Lynch's professional activities as a historian, educator, editor, and shaper of departments at Columbia University and other institutions. Some materials related to Lynch's personal life are present in this series, including files on his children.</p> <p>Much of this series consists of correspondence between Lynch and others. While Series III contains correspondence arranged by date and name, the correspondence throughout this series is in the context of particular subjects, and is often accompanied by other materials: notes, forms, book reviews, and memorandums being the most prominent. Series II, as well, overlaps in subject matter with this series. But whereas Series II holds primary materials Lynch collected for research, this series contains administrative materials and correspondence generated by Lynch and his colleagues and contemporaries.</p> <p>The series holds files on Lynch's major books, namely his first book published in 1967, <span class=\"title\">Edward Wilmot Blyden: Pan-Negro Patriot, 1832-1912</span>. Correspondence about the book's publication, later editions, and its use in classrooms is present, as are initial reviews of the book. There are materials for <span class=\"title\">K.O. Mbadiwe: A Nigerian Political Biography, 1915-1990</span>, including correspondence from throughout Lynch's decades-long research process, a draft of chapter four, and reviews. Lynch's extensive research materials for this book can be found in Series II.</p> <p>A large amount of correspondence and notes for the Oxford University Press series of Black biographies are present in this series; Lynch's letters to authors and other editors about biography proposals exist here. There are files on other book publishers with which Lynch was involved as an author or editor, notably Andronicus Publishing Company, Garrard Publishing Company, Greenwood Press, and Houghton Mifflin.</p> <p>The series holds subject files relating to Columbia University, such as Wallach Hall, the Institute of African Studies, and proposed professorship and chair appointments. The Wallach Hall materials are especially extensive, with press about Lynch's residency, and notes and correspondence about events held at the residence.</p> <p>Also of note are files on the University of British Columbia and University of London, which feature several papers Lynch wrote about African history and Pan-Africanism. Additionally, the series holds dissertations and papers by students for whom Lynch was an advisor, along with notes and correspondence about their research.</p> <p>Other subject files concern social issues such as Black police in cities and minorities at Columbia University; graduate students; and institutions at which Lynch lectured or taught. There is also a set of recommendations Lynch wrote for professors and students.</p> <p>The files on Lynch's children are mostly made up of news clippings about Shola and Nnenna Lynch's careers as track and field athletes, as well as their college activities and marriages.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/scm/188258#c1796319'>Series II: Research Files</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1920-2000s</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>9.25 linear feet (23 boxes)</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>This series, which dates from 1920 to the 2000s, contains Lynch's extensive collection of primary sources and his own notes that he used for books, academic articles, and courses that he taught. Some overlap in topics exists between this series and Series I; where the latter consists of administrative documents and correspondence generated by Lynch and others, this series holds materials gathered by Lynch specifically for research purposes.</p> <p>The primary sources consist mostly of correspondence, writings, memorandums, and forms. Lynch's notes, which are less prevalent than the primary sources, generally feature direct quotes from newspaper articles and academic papers. His notes have citations, and were mostly written and assembled in the 1970s and 1980s.</p> <p>There are numerous research materials related to the African Academy of Arts and Research (AAAR) in this series. The AAAR materials date chiefly from 1945 to 1947, and include letters, memorandums, and forms relating to administrative matters. In particular, there are many materials for the AAAR's 1945 and 1946 dance and music festivals of which Eleanor Roosevelt was a guest. Also present are membership lists, meeting minutes, the organization's by-laws and constitution, financial plans, promotional materials, fundraising documents, and drafts of AAAR's yearbooks. A significant amount of the correspondence in the AAAR materials includes letters written by K.O. Mbadiwe. A separate group of Mbadiwe research materials is held in the series; these materials largely date from the 1960s and 1970s, and address Mbadiwe's political activities in Nigeria.</p> <p>Elsewhere, this series holds dozens of Lynch's notecards with quotes he copied from African American newspapers of the 1940s and 1950s. The quotes mostly concern the activities of African citizens in the United States at the time. There are also research files on topics such as Black urban America, Black urban religion, the Council on African Affairs, and West Africa.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/scm/188258#c1796437'>Series III: Correspondence</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1957-2021</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>8.75 linear feet (21 boxes)</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>This series contains Lynch's correspondence dating from 1959 to 2021. Correspondence is present in all other series, in the context of particular subjects. This series, on the other hand, features a sustained assemblage of correspondence organized by date or correspondent name. The majority of the correspondence here relates to Lynch's professional activities, though personal letters exist throughout the series. Occasional clippings, fliers, and notes are included with the correspondence.</p> <p>The earliest correspondence originates from Lynch's time as a student at the University of British Columbia and the University of London. There are letters from his mother, as well as letters from professors and university administrators addressing Lynch's academic progress. Also present are letters from Lynch's time at the University of Ibadan from 1964 to 1966, some of which discuss the contemporary political climate in Nigeria. Correspondence from 1968 to 1969 touches on Lynch's appointments at the State University of New York at Buffalo and Columbia University; the publication of his first book, <span class=\"title\">Edward Wilmot Blyden: Pan-Negro Patriot, 1832-1912</span>; and the development of the Black studies program at Buffalo.</p> <p>Much of the 1970s and 1980s correspondence concerns administrative and educational matters at Columbia. There is correspondence addressing Lynch's residency at Wallach Hall, events and lectures at Columbia and other institutions, courses taught by Lynch, and the Institute of African Studies. Some correspondence is about publishing matters, the status of other Columbia professors, and students.</p> <p>Correspondence from the 1990s to 2021 is more personal than professional. There are letters to and from Lynch's friends, relatives, and colleagues, including thank you cards and holiday cards. Some personal correspondence, specifically from the 1990s, relates to Richmond Great House; additional Richmond Great House materials are in Series IV.</p> <p>The correspondence by name largely includes letters to and from Lynch's former students. They touch on personal matters, such as travel, as well as academic aspects of their careers.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/scm/188258#c1796468'>Series IV: Richmond Great House Files</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1973-2011</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>2.5 linear feet (6 boxes)</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>Series IV holds materials related to Richmond Great House, the 18th century plantation home in Tobago that Lynch purchased in 1973. The series dates from 1973 to 2011.</p> <p>A significant portion of the series consists of forms and correspondence concerning the maintenance of the building and its grounds. There are materials for building extensions, remodeling projects, and industrial developments. The original deed from 1973 is held here, as are other documents involved in the purchase.</p> <p>Also present are press clippings about Richmond Great House, mostly from the 1990s and 2000s. A set of guest correspondence is included, which features letters to Lynch thanking him for his hospitality, or following up on tasks. Some guest correspondence is also in Series III.</p></div></li></ul>\n", "type"=>"arrangement"}
- acqinfo
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{"value"=>"<p>Donated by Hollis Lynch in 2024.</p>"}
- separatedmaterial
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{"value"=>"<p>See the Photographs and Prints Division for the Hollis R. Lynch photographs, Sc Photo Hollis R. Lynch collection.</p>"}
- processinfo
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{"value"=>"<p>Processed by <span class=\"name\">Nathan Evans</span> in <span class=\"date\">2025</span>.</p>"}
- date_start
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1920
- keydate
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1920
- date_end
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2021
- date_inclusive_start
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1920
- date_inclusive_end
-
2021
- date_bulk_start
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1940
- date_bulk_end
-
2007
- prefercite
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{"value"=>"[Item], Hollis R. Lynch papers, Sc MG 1018, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division, The New York Public Library"}