Book Series Guide

Angela Y. Davis

Author guide

Angela Y. Davis Books in Order

Angela Y. Davis is an American scholar, author, activist, and educator. Her influential work examines the intersections of race, gender, class, capitalism, feminism, state violence, and incarceration. She is Professor Emerita of History of Consciousness and Feminist Studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz, a founding member of Critical Resistance, and a major contributor to Black feminist and prison-abolitionist thought.

nonfictionmemoirpolitical theoryfeminismsocial justice

Catalog record updated .

Angela Y. Davis's Newest Book

Cover of Abolition. Feminism. Now.

Abolition. Feminism. Now.

co-authored nonfiction · First published 2022

In this landmark work, four of the world's leading scholar-activists issue an urgent call for a truly intersectional, internationalist, abolitionist feminism. As a politics and as a practice, abolitionism has increasingly shaped our political moment, amplified through the worldwide protests following the 2020 murder of George Floyd by a uniformed police officer. It is at the heart of the Black Lives Matter movement, in its demands for police defunding and demilitarisation, and a halt to prison construction. As this book shows, abolitionism and feminism stand shoulder-to-shoulder in fighting a common cause: the end of the carceral state, with its key role in perpetuating violence, both public and private, in prisons, in police forces, and in people's homes. Abolitionist theories and practices are at their most compelling when they are feminist; and a feminism that is also abolitionist is the most inclusive and persuasive version of feminism for these times. ABOLITION. FEMINISM. NOW. 'This extraordinary book makes the most compelling case I've ever seen for the indivisibility of feminism and abolition' Robin D. G. Kelley 'This book is as capacious and demanding as the abolitionist feminism it calls for' Sara Ahmed

Not sure where to begin?

Start with one of these

Cover of Women, Race & Class

Women, Race & Class

Foundational account of the intersections of race, gender, class, and feminism.

Cover of Are Prisons Obsolete?

Are Prisons Obsolete?

Concise introduction to Davis's prison-abolitionist analysis.

Cover of Angela Davis: An Autobiography

Angela Davis: An Autobiography

Best entry point for her life, political development, and intellectual formation.

Outside the series

Bibliography by category

Novels (4)
  1. Women, Race & Class

    nonfiction · 1981

    From one of our most important scholars and civil rights activist icon, a powerful study of the women’s liberation movement and the tangled knot of oppression facing Black women. “Angela Davis is herself a woman of undeniable courage. She…

  2. Blues Legacies and Black Feminism: Gertrude "Ma" Rainey, Bessie Smith, and Billie Holiday

    nonfiction · 1998

    Jazz, it is widely accepted, is the signal original American contribution to world culture. Angela Davis shows us how the roots of that form in the blues must be viewed not only as a musical tradition but as a life-sustaining vehicle for…

  3. Are Prisons Obsolete?

    nonfiction · 2003

    With her characteristic brilliance, grace and radical audacity, Angela Y. Davis has put the case for the latest abolition movement in American life: the abolition of the prison. As she quite correctly notes, American life is replete with…

  4. Abolition Democracy: Beyond Empire, Prisons, and Torture

    nonfiction · 2005

    Revelations about U.S policies and practices of torture and abuse have captured headlines ever since the breaking of the Abu Ghraib prison story in April 2004. Since then, a debate has raged regarding what is and what is not acceptable…

Nonfiction (1)
  1. Angela Davis: An Autobiography

    memoir · 1974

    The political activist reflects upon the people and incidents that have influenced her life and commitment to global liberation of the oppressed.

Essays and speeches (3)
  1. Women, Culture & Politics

    essay collection · 1989

  2. The Meaning of Freedom: And Other Difficult Dialogues

    essay collection · 2012

  3. Freedom Is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement

    essay collection · 2016

    In this collection of essays, interviews, and speeches, the renowned activist examines today’s issues—from Black Lives Matter to prison abolition and more. Activist and scholar Angela Y. Davis has been a tireless fighter against…

Edited works (1)
  1. If They Come in the Morning: Voices of Resistance

    edited nonfiction collection · 1971

    **With race and the police once more burning issues, this classic work from one of America’s giants of black radicalism has lost none of its prescience or power** One of America’s most historic political trials is undoubtedly that of…

Collaborations (1)
  1. Abolition. Feminism. Now.

    co-authored nonfiction · 2022

    In this landmark work, four of the world's leading scholar-activists issue an urgent call for a truly intersectional, internationalist, abolitionist feminism. As a politics and as a practice, abolitionism has increasingly shaped our…

Frequently asked questions about Angela Y. Davis

Who is Angela Y. Davis?

Angela Y. Davis is an American scholar, author, activist, and educator known for connecting race, gender, class, feminism, and incarceration. She is Distinguished Professor Emerita in History of Consciousness and Feminist Studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Source: campusdirectory.ucsc.edu (opens in a new tab)

Where was Angela Y. Davis born, and what shaped her early activism?

Davis was born in Birmingham, Alabama. The University of California, Santa Cruz, notes that her political activism began there during childhood and continued through her high-school years in New York.

Source: campusdirectory.ucsc.edu (opens in a new tab)

Who influenced Angela Davis’s political and intellectual development?

At Brandeis University, Davis studied under philosopher Herbert Marcuse, who became a major mentor. Her intellectual development also drew on Frankfurt School critical theory and Marxist thought.

Sources: brandeis.edu (opens in a new tab)journals.uchicago.edu (opens in a new tab)

Why is Angela Y. Davis associated with prison abolition?

Davis helped popularize the concept of the prison-industrial complex and has argued for alternatives to a society organized around incarceration. She also helped launch the Critical Resistance movement, linking prison abolition with struggles against racism, gender oppression, and state violence.

Sources: campusdirectory.ucsc.edu (opens in a new tab)news.ucsc.edu (opens in a new tab)

What awards and honors has Angela Y. Davis received, and what is her legacy?

Davis was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 2019 and received the 2024 Ada Louise Huxtable Prize for Contribution to Architecture. These honors reflect her wide influence on feminist scholarship, prison-abolitionist thought, activism, and public discussions of social justice.

Sources: womenofthehall.org (opens in a new tab)news.ucsc.edu (opens in a new tab)