Robert C. Smith (political scientist)

{{Short description|American political scientist (born 1947)}}

{{Infobox scientist

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| name = Robert C. Smith

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| birth_date = {{birth date|1947|02|12}}

| birth_place = Benton, Louisiana

| death_date = {{death date and age |2023|04|13 |1947|02|12}}

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| fields = Political science

| workplaces = San Francisco State University

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| education = University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Los Angeles
Howard University

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| thesis_title = Black elites and Black groups in the federal policy process: a study in interest articulation

| thesis_url = https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/006471358

| thesis_year = 1976

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| known_for = Work on racial politics in the United States

| awards = Distinguished Ph.D. Alumni Award from Howard University (1998)

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| spouse = {{marriage|Scottie Gibson Smith|1972}}

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| children = 3

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Robert Charles Smith (February 12, 1947 - April 13, 2023){{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-jIXAQAAMAAJ |title=Who's who Among African Americans |date=2008 |publisher=Gale Research |pages=1107 |isbn=9781414400204 |language=en}}{{cite web|url=https://politicalsciencenow.com/remembering-renowned-political-science-professor-and-black-politics-scholar-dr-robert-c-smith/|title=Remembering Renowned Political Science Professor and Black Politics Scholar, Dr. Robert C. Smith|date=9 May 2023|access-date=3 January 2024|work = Political Science Now|publisher = American Political Science Association}} was a political science professor at San Francisco State University (SFSU). He is known for his scholarship on race and politics in the United States, about which he has written several books.{{Cite news |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2012/12/24/167970497/minorities-may-spurn-the-gop-but-the-party-welcomes-them |title=Minorities May Spurn The GOP, But The Party Welcomes Them |date=2012-12-24 |work=NPR |access-date=2019-06-19 |language=en}}{{Cite news |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2014/05/13/311908835/race-alone-doesnt-explain-hatred-of-obama-but-its-part-of-the-mix |title=Race Alone Doesn't Explain Hatred Of Obama, But It's Part Of The Mix |date=2014-05-13 |work=NPR |access-date=2019-06-19 |language=en}} The "Black Politics" class he began teaching at SFSU in 1990 proved controversial; students protested the class because it was offered in the political science department rather than the African American studies department, which was interpreted by some students as encroaching on the latter department's area of focus.{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/01/02/education/hard-won-acceptance-spawns-new-conflicts-around-ethnic-studies.html |title=Hard-Won Acceptance Spawns New Conflicts Around Ethnic Studies |last=Depalma |first=Anthony |date=1991-01-02 |work=The New York Times |access-date=2019-06-19 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}