Henry Louis Gates

Henry Louis "Skip" Gates, Jr. ( born September 16, 1950 in Piedmont, West Virginia ) is an American literary and cultural scholars. He is regarded as an outstanding representative of the " African American studies", the study of the history and culture of black Americans.

Life

He studied history at Yale, he graduated in 1973 with a BA from. With a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, he continued his studies at Clare College, University of Cambridge in English Literature continues. In 1979 he finished his studies there by M. A. and the Ph.D. in English and was an Assistant Professor of English and African- American studies in the same year. From this period dates a close connection with Wole Soyinka, the gates referred to as a mentor. Until 1985 he remained at Yale, most recently as Associate Professor from 1985 to 1990, he taught at Cornell University, then at Duke University. Since 1991 he has held the chair of Afro - American Studies and Professor of English and American Literature and Director of the WEB Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research at Harvard.

He is regarded as "the most famous black scholar of the nation." For his research on the culture of African Americans, he has received numerous awards. Gates is a member of many academic bodies and cultural institutions. He has worked on several films as a writer, consultant or facilitator. In 1981 he was MacArthur Fellow.

Cambridge Police Incident

Media attention reached Gates with the so called Cambridge Police incident on 16 July 2009 upon his return from a trip jammed the door of his house, so he with a taxi driver -. Had to rattle at the door - also a black man. This prompted neighbors to call the police. What happened after the arrival of the police, is controversial. In the police report said Gates was arrested for resisting against the state after he was loud and abusive. Among other things, he is said to have accused the police to arrest him because he was black. The U.S. President Barack Obama, who is a personal friend of Gates, initially criticized the behavior of the police. On July 25, 2009 Obama apologized in a press conference for his criticism and admitted that he would otherwise have to express. He invited Gates and the policeman who had arrested, to achieving a reconciliation talking to the White House, which took place on July 30.

Comments

Publications

• Colorful Times. A youth in America. Zurich 1997, ISBN 3-257-06149-8.
• The secret of Anatole Broyard. Berlin 2001.