Education

Ph.D. Humanities, Clark Atlanta University

Dissertation Title: His Master’s Voice: A Cultural History of Religious Race Records 1897-1933

My dissertation explores the intersection of Afro-Protestantism and the race records industry by analyzing these recordings as both material artifacts and intangible cultural heritage. Using the theoretical frameworks of Antonio Gramsci and Roland Barthes, I argue that religious race records were transformative modern commodities that detached the sounds of Black religious culture from their original visual and communal contexts. This research positions these records as a contested heritage site and shifting space of ideological struggle that reflects nuanced power relations between artists and producers, alongside internal class debates over cultural authority and the preservation of sacred traditions within the Black Church. By documenting these negotiations, my work highlights the role of recorded sound in the safeguarding and transformation of African American cultural identity.

Advisor: Charmayne Patterson, Ph.D.

Field: History with secondary concentration in sociology

Areas of Specialization: Cultural History (Primary) | Historical Theology, Historical Sociology, Cultural Studies and Philosophy of History (Secondary)

Master of Divinity, Morehouse School of Religion at the Interdenominational Theological Center

B.S., Public Affairs Management, Indiana University

B.A., Philosophy, Indiana University

Teaching Philosophy

I champion a student-centered pedagogy that balances academic rigor with active, critical dialogue to move beyond passive learning models. By bridging course content with contemporary social and political life, I empower students to apply theoretical knowledge to the complexities of their own lived experiences.

I balance a supportive and caring environment with rigorous intellectual expectations, challenging my students to meet the high standards required for advanced academic research and impactful public-facing work. By combining deep content mastery with dynamic, effective communication, I ensure students are fully prepared to navigate complex scholarly debates and serve as leaders in the professional sphere.

I approach undergraduates as emerging scholars, emphasizing a curriculum of rigorous research, writing, and public engagement. This framework ensures that classroom work remains directly connected to the pulse of contemporary social and political life.

Teaching Experience

Spelman College Department of History

2021 – Present

Making of the Modern World
Ancient World History to 1500
Survey of American History to 1877
Survey of American History II
The United States in the 20th Century
Survey of African American History I
Survey of African American History I
In Her Own Words African American Women’s Autobiographies
African American Women’s History
Black Popular Culture & Heritage a History

Clark Atlanta University Department of African American Studies, Africana Women's Studies, and History

2020-Present

United States, Africa, and World, I
United States, Africa, and World, II
African American History to 1865
African American History Since 1865

Clark Atlanta University Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice

Introduction to Sociology
Culture and Society
Criminal Corrections Process

Clark Atlanta University Department of Humanities

The Early Period to 1914

2020 – 2024

2020-2022

Related Experience

Graduate Project Archivist

Atlanta University Center Robert Woodruff Library | Funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)

Mar. 2016 – 2020

Collections Management: Researched, organized, and digitized 14 rare multi-media collections (audio, video, manuscripts, and photographs) documenting African American religious history from the late 19th to early 21st centuries.
Digital Heritage: Developed a digital exhibition using the Omeka platform to expand public and scholarly access to historical African American religious archival collections.
Preservation & Access: Executed full-lifecycle archival processing—from initial description to digital preparation—ensuring the long-term preservation of material and intangible cultural heritage.
Research Consultancy: Provided expert guidance to students on navigating specialized online databases and library resources to support original research projects.

Papers, Publications, and Conferences

Morris, DuJuan A. “Putting it On Wax: Race Records and Black Religious Culture.” Paper presented at the National Council of Black Studies Conference, Atlanta, GA, March 18, 2018.

Morris, DuJuan A. “Harry Pace, Black Swan, and the Birth of Black Electronic Entertainment.” Paper presented at the Association for the Study of African American Life and History Conference, Atlanta, GA, September 25, 2025.

Morris, DuJuan A. “Not “His Master’s Voice,” but the People’s: Early Afro-American Phonograph Recordings as Transgressive Discourse.” Paper presented at the Popular Culture Association of the South and American Culture Association of the South Conference, Huntsville, AL, October 9, 2025.

Morris, DuJuan A. “Upstart Preachers and Recording Pioneers: The Emergence of Atlanta as the Sound Recording Capital of the South.” Paper scheduled for presentation at A Century of Atlanta Music from the Margins panel as part of the Atlanta Studies Symposium themed “Atlanta from the Margins,” Atlanta, GA, May 14, 2026.

Morris, DuJuan A. “The Powerful Triumvirate: Ralph Peer, Polk Brockman and Frank Walker: The Rise of Atlanta as the Sound Recording Capital of the South.” Paper scheduled for presentation at Building Atlanta panel as part of the 92nd annual meeting of the Southern Historical Association, Atlanta, GA, November 5–8, 2026.

Works in Progress

Morris, D. (2026). “Lady Gaga and Sexy Red, Meet Ma Rainey: Blues Lyrics as Declarations of Sexual and Societal Liberty,” (Manuscript in preparation)

Morris, D. (2026). “The Reluctant Recording Pioneer: Aletha Mae Dickerson-Robinson, and Patriarchy in the Early Sound Recording Industry" (Manuscript in preparation)

Morris, D. (2026). “Harry Pace: The Complex Legacy of Black Institutions and Cultural Uplift" (Manuscript in Preparation)

Media Coverage & Public Outreach

“Harry Pace, Black Swan, and the Birth of Black Electronic Entertainment” A Century of Black History Commemorations, Fulton County Library Mechanicsville Branch, Atlanta, GA

February 14, 2026

Public humanities talk and community engagement event celebrating local Black history and the evolution of the electronic entertainment industry.

“Atlanta Journal Constitution UATL,” “Georgia Native Establishes the First Black-Owned Record Label”

February 12, 2025

Feature article detailing the historical significance of the first Black-owned record label and its impact on the cultural landscape of Georgia.

Get Article

Research Interests

Dr. Morris’s research focuses on the intersections of American and African American cultural history, particularly through the lenses of public memory, heritage preservation, and the digital humanities. He examines how Black communities historically utilized cultural production and archival practices to assert agency and construct identity within broader national narratives. My research, teaching, and conference work explores the cultural history and heritage of 19th and 20th-century Europe and America, with a specific focus on Black American experiences. My work examines themes of collective memory, power, resistance, and social stratification by analyzing the intersection of religious history, popular culture, and media technology. Most recently, my research has focused on the early sound recording industry, exploring the relationship between phonograph technology and Black entrepreneurial leadership—specifically within Black Swan Records. By analyzing early 20th-century blues and gospel recordings as sites of transgressive discourse and hegemonic negotiation, my work highlights the role of recorded sound in the formation and preservation of cultural identity.

His secondary specialization explores comparative work across the Black Atlantic and global religious history, tracing transatlantic dialogues through an interdisciplinary lens. This research connects media technology and public humanities to the safeguarding of African American cultural heritage and its enduring influence on contemporary social landscapes.

Service

I served as the senior research advisor for a student within the Spelman College History Department who successfully defended her thesis titled White Women, Progressive Reform and Southern Womanhood from 1890-1906 in 2022. Based on the close working relationship we established, I wrote her a recommendation for an internship at The National Museum of African American History and Culture Archives, which she was awarded. The internship success prompted her to seek a profession in library science. In turn, I wrote her a recommendation for the Phi Alpha Theta Graduate Scholarship to attend Simmons University (2023). Consequently, she was awarded the scholarship and accepted to Simmons Master of Library Science Program. I have written recommendations for several other students that have contributed to their professional success. One student from Clark Atlanta University is now a successful financial analyst in California’s Silicon Valley. In addition, I assisted the hiring committee for the Spelman History Department (2022). Moreover, from 2017 until 2022, I served as the vice-president of the Morehouse School of Religion National Alumni Association. Finally, I have served as a keynote speaker for multiple community events, developing and delivering presentations to audiences of 100+ to drive engagement and inspiration.

Awards and Certifications

Online Teaching Certification

2020

Managing Bias Certification

2020

Diversity Certification

2020

Memberships

Phi Alpha Theta National History and Honor Society

Theta Phi Honor Society of the Interdenominational Theological Center

Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH)

International Society of Cultural History

American Philosophical Association

Society for the Study of American Religion and Culture

American Historical Association

American Sociological Association
Popular Culture Association of the South and American Culture Association of the South
Southern Historical Association
Church History Association

Research and Academic Contact

Let's Connect

info@mysite.com

Telephone

123-456-7890