Ashley Howard

Assistant Professor
Biography

Drop-in Hours: by appointment only

Ashley Howard earned a PhD in History from the University of Illinois. She joined the University of Iowa faculty in fall 2019 coming from Loyola University, New Orleans. Her research interests include African Americans in the Midwest; the intersection between race, class, and gender; and the global history of racial violence. Her manuscript Prairie Fires: Class, Gender, and Regional Intersections in the 1960s Urban Rebellions analyzes the 1960s urban rebellions in the Midwest, grounded in the way race, class, gender, and region played critical and overlapping roles in defining resistance to racialized oppression.

Dr. Howard's work has appeared in The Chronicle of Higher Education, BBC World News Hour, Al Jazeera, Financial Times, Washington Post and NPR. Her "Then the Burnings Began" article is the winner of the 2018 James L. Sellers Memorial Prize.

As an educator, Dr. Howard’s primary goal is to teach students to be effective writers, critical thinkers, and active world citizens. Students in her classes develop skills through hands-on learning, like processing questionnaires for the Louisiana on Lockdown report. She is also dedicated to sharing her scholarly knowledge outside of the traditional campus community. Specifically, Howard has greatly valued teaching opportunities where she can provide quality, university-level education to those with limited access, including underserved schools and correctional facilities.

Awards and service

  • 2022 - Mellon Foundation Grant Recipient
    Awarded by: Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
  • 2022 - Dorothy Schwieder Prize - Honorable Mention
    Awarded by: Midwest Historical Association
  • 2020 - Faculty Communicating Ideas Award
    Awarded by: University of Iowa Office of the Vice Provost for Research
  • 2018 - James L. Sellers Memorial Prize
    Awarded by: Nebraska State Historical Society

Publications

Articles

Commentary and popular writing

Research areas
  • African Americans in the Midwest
  • Intersection Between Race, Class, and Gender
  • Global History of Racial Violence
Ashley Howard
Phone
Education
University of Illinois
Contact Information
Address

113 Schaeffer Hall (SH)
Iowa City, IA 52242
United States