Organization of American Historians honors MSU鈥檚 Finley with prestigious dissertation award
Contact: Sarah Nicholas
STARKVILLE, Miss. 鈥 For her dissertation on women鈥檚 roles in the antebellum slave trade, a new faculty member at Mississippi State is receiving the 2018 Lerner-Scott Prize for the best doctoral dissertation on U.S. women鈥檚 history.
The Organization of American Historians is recognizing Alexandra 鈥淎lex鈥 Finley with the award and a cash prize. Outgoing OAH president Edward L. Ayers and incoming president Earl Lewis conferred her honor during the organization鈥檚 annual meeting this month in Sacramento, California.
A native of Belpre, Ohio, Finley joined MSU鈥檚 Department of History as an assistant professor last fall.听
Referring to herself as a 鈥渉istorian of slavery, race and gender in the 19th-century South,鈥 Finley鈥檚 prize-winning dissertation, 鈥淏lood Money: Sex, Family, and Finance in the Antebellum Slave Trade,鈥 examines the economic contributions of enslaved and free women鈥檚 domestic and reproductive labor from 1820 to 1865. 聽
鈥淲inning this prize is an incredible honor,鈥 Finley said. The award is named for two foundational historians of women and gender鈥擥erda Lerner and Joan Scott, whom Finley credits with 鈥渟ignificantly influencing the way I approach history and the types of questions I ask.鈥澛
鈥淚 am particularly interested in the experiences of enslaved women and the economic significance of their labor,鈥 Finley said. 鈥淚 argue that women鈥檚 coerced, waged and household work, including sewing, washing, cooking, cleaning and nursing, formed the foundation upon which the rest of the slave trade functioned.鈥
Alan Marcus, professor and department head, said Finley鈥檚 award is recognition for her 鈥渃utting-edge scholarship that promises to alter our understanding of the institution of slavery and the roles of enslaved women within it.鈥
Marcus added, 鈥淗er recent contributions to African American, gender and identity history help perpetuate MSU鈥檚 longstanding excellence in the historical study of these areas.鈥
Dean of MSU鈥檚 College of Arts and Sciences Rick Travis said having a professor on staff with the 鈥渄epth and insight of聽Dr. Finley means聽our students are exposed聽to a wider and richer learning environment.鈥
鈥淒r. Finley's accomplishments are a source of pride for the university,鈥 Travis said.
Her dissertation is the basis of a current book project which she plans to edit and complete this summer. Finley鈥檚 interests in women鈥檚 roles in the workforce will then expand into a new research project.
鈥淚 plan to continue exploring the importance of domestic labor to capitalist development in the 19th century,鈥 Finley said. 鈥淲hile researching for my dissertation, I found a lot of fascinating information from census records and court cases about women who ran boarding houses, worked as laundresses, served as maids and so on.听Not all of their stories could make it into this manuscript, but聽they are the inspiration and foundation of my聽second project.鈥
Finley received her Ph.D. in 2017 and her master鈥檚 degree in 2012 from the College of William & Mary. She earned her bachelor鈥檚 degree in 2010 from The Ohio State University.听
Founded in 1907, the OAH is the world鈥檚 largest professional association dedicated to American history scholarship. With more than 7,500 members worldwide, OAH promotes excellence in the scholarship, teaching and presentation of American history, encouraging wide discussion of historical questions and equitable treatment of history practitioners.
MSU鈥檚 College of Arts and Sciences includes more than 5,200 students, 300 full-time faculty members, nine doctoral programs and 25 academic majors offered in 14 departments.听Complete details about the College of Arts and Sciences and the Department of History may be found at聽 and . 聽
熟女少妇is Mississippi鈥檚 leading university, available online at聽.听