45th Annual W.E.B. Du Bois Lecture with Moses E. Ochonu

The Department of Africana Studies presents their 45th annual W.E.B. Du Bois Lecture

Moses E. Ochonu, Cornelius Vanderbilt Chair, History; and Professor of African History, Vanderbilt University

Using Congolese philosopher V.Y Mudimbe’s concept of the invention of Africa as a point of departure, Moses E. Ochonu explores the ways in which African Americans, from the mid-nineteenth century to the present, invented, and reinvented ideas, semiotics, and tropes of Africa to respond to evolving circumstances, challenges, and aspirations in America and beyond.

Biography: Moses E. Ochonu is Cornelius Vanderbilt Chair in History and Professor of African History at Vanderbilt University. He is the author of four books: Emirs in London: Subaltern Travel and Nigeria’s Modernity (Indiana University Press, 2022); Africa in Fragments: Essays on Nigeria, Africa, and Global Africanity (New York: Diasporic Africa Press, 2014); Colonialism by Proxy: Hausa Imperial Agents and Middle Belt Consciousness in Nigeria (Indiana University Press, 2014), which was named finalist for the Herskovits Prize; and Colonial Meltdown: Northern Nigeria in the Great Depression (Ohio University Press, 2009); and editor of Entrepreneurship in African History (Indiana University Press, 2018).

The W.E.B. Du Bois Lecture is organized by the Department of Africana Studies.

Co-sponsored by the College of the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences; the Department of American Studies; the Dresher Center for the Humanities; the Shriver Center; and the Center for Social Science Scholarship.

Photo provided by speaker.

UMBC is committed to creating an accessible and inclusive environment for all students, staff, and visitors. If you would like to request a disability-based accommodation on site or have questions about this event or its location, please contact us at dreshercenter@umbc.edu.