Dr Emily Brady

I am a social and cultural historian of the twentieth century United States, focussing on the intersection of identity, visuality and activism. I am particularly interested in the roles of women photographers in protest movements, and how their positionality allows them to occupy and visualise alternative spaces. My focus has been on the role of Black women photographers in the Civil Rights Movement, asserting that their increased community embeddedness and utilisation of intimate networks allows for a more nuanced look at the communities activism that fuelled the movement. Working across portraiture, anthropological images, tourist snapshots, photojournalism, and documentary-style work, I trace a long-neglected photographic tradition across the twentieth century.

My passion for visual culture was ignited during my American Studies undergraduate degree at the University of Nottingham (2011-2015), which included a year abroad at The College of New Jersey. I was drawn to the images used in our lectures to illustrate history, and was curious about the identity and agenda(s) of the photographers. As such, I grew interested in how we use visual sources – especially photography – to communicate history. I undertook an MRes (2016-2017) and a PhD (2017-2021) at the University of Nottingham, exploring the alternative archive revealed by Black women photographers in the civil rights era. For my contribution to the postgraduate community and the high standard of my research, I won the Heymann Research Scholarship (Tri-Campus Postgraduate Awards, 2020).

Following my PhD, I taught at the University of Leeds as a Teaching Fellow in American History (2021-2022). Following this invigorating year of teaching, I was the Broadbent Junior Research Fellow in American History at Rothermere American Institute and Christ Church College (2022-2025). During this time I was able to develop my first monograph: I Didn’t Know She Took Pictures: Black Women Photographers from the Harlem Renaissance to Black Power (forthcoming 2027, University of North Carolina Press). I also organised the first UK exhibition of civil rights activist Maria Varela’s photography (April – May 2024).

I am also passionate about developing intersectional and interdisciplinary pedagogical approaches, working as the Project Lead of “Bridging the Resource Gap – American Studies Resources for 16-19.” I am interested in how photography can be employed to enhance student engagement and outreach initiatives.