Paradoxes of King Historiography

Abstract

The literature regarding Martin Luther King, Jr., and the modern African American freedom struggle is extensive and increasingly sophisticated. Although King became an internationally known figure during his life, his stature as a historical figure has continued to grow since his death. In part, this resulted from the successful campaign to establish a national holiday celebrating his birth, but it also derives from a growing recognition that King was one of the key symbols of a twentieth-century social justice struggle that altered the lives of the majority of the world's population. As King's life fades from the memories of those who knew him, the historical King has come to the forefront as scholars construct convincing new narratives of the half century since the start of the Montgomery bus boycott. Yet, while scholars have placed King within the panorama of modern world history, they have also focused their attention on...