Jeanette R. Davidson

Professor Jeanette R. (Carlisle) Davidson is Professor Emerita of the University of Oklahoma. She has a BA (Hons) in English Literature from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, and an MSSW and PhD in Social Work from the University of Texas t Arlington. Prior to beginning her career in the academy, Davidson worked as a social work practitioner and clinician and continued her practice focus for many years as a consultant and trainer for child welfare supervisors and practitioners. She has published extensively in the areas of African and African American Studies, and on race and competency in social work practice and education, and on social work ethical practice. She is the editor of African American Studies (1st and 2nd editions) published by Edinburgh University Press in 2010 and 2021 respectively.


Jeanette Davidson is a member of the Board of Directors and Chair of the International Committee of the National Council for Black Studies (NCBS) and is a member of the Executive Board of the Southwest Center for Human Relations in Education. She is a member of the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO) Board of Directors in Austin Texas and a member of a working group for Glasgow City Council, in Scotland. Currently she serves on the editorial board of The International Journal of Africana Studies. She was selected by the publication Diverse: Issues in Higher Education as one of 25 outstanding women in higher education in 2018. She was also highlighted as one of nine women in “Inspiring Stories of Women Empowerment” by Knowledge Review in 2018. In 2025 she received the Lifetime Contribution Award from the National Council for Black Studies.


Professor Davidson is currently on the faculty of the University of Texas School of Social Work where her focus is on international research projects and initiatives, and on housing and homelessness in Austin, Texas. Davidson was previously Professor, the University of Oklahoma, where she taught African and African American Studies and social work, serving as Director of African and African American Studies for fifteen years. Before teaching at the University of Oklahoma, Jeanette Davidson was Associate Professor at Columbia University School of Social Work, New York, and at the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas. Jeanette Davidson was born and raised in Scotland.