Stanford history professor Kennell Jackson teaches an upper-level history seminar in "Black Hair as Culture and History," which according to him addresses how black hair "has interacted with the black presence in this country—how it has played a role in the evolution of black society. Scheduled lectures include "The Rise of the Afro" and "Fade-O-Rama, Braiding and Dreadlocks," and local hair stylists will visit class for a week of discussions. Enrolled students will view the 1960 musical "Hair" and read Willie L. Morrow's "400 Years Without a Comb," Dylan Jones' "Haircults," and Michael Jackson's hit pop single "Man in the Mirror." According to Jackson, "Black hair has interacted with society, and today I'm trying to make it into a field. You wouldn't find the same interaction in Africa. You don't find the conflict over whose hair should be what, in what dimensions... The term itself is homogeneous. It allows people to avoid what black hair is. This is a very real issue, that there is this thing—that we are assuming is called—'black hair.' "

†