My Research
I earned my PhD in African History from Michigan State University in 2020. My dissertation, titled "Law, Justice, and Gender: (Re)gendering the Legal System in Ogidi, Igboland," earned distinction for its research and writing quality.
For non-specialists, I study the intersecting legal, religious, and gender histories of the Igbo town of Ogidi, which is located in southeastern Nigeria, West Africa. I examine the transition from autonomous Igbo society to British colonial rule, particularly the changing gender dynamics of law and religion from the mid-nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century. In my research and teaching, I aim to privilege indigenous African knowledge, perspectives, and periodization.
Ogidi is probably most famous for being the birthplace of one of the world's most famous authors and intellectuals, Chinua Achebe. Not only was my dissertation advisor, Prof. Nwando Achebe, a daughter of the late great author, but I also use the novel Things Fall Apart as a significant historical source for my scholarly work.
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Thank You!
I need to extend gratitude to several individuals and institutions for the mentorship and sponsorship that helped make my dissertation research fieldwork possible. Thank you to the Fulbright Institute of International Education (IIE), the Social Science Research Council, and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for the generous financial support they have provided me to conduct this research in Nigeria from January to December 2018.
Thank you to the National Archives of Nigeria, Enugu, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), especially UNN's Department of History and International Studies, and the town of Ogidi for hosting me. Thank you also to Michigan State University (MSU), specifically MSU's College of Social Science, Graduate School, Department of History, and African Studies Center.
Thank you to the wonderful individuals and families in Nigeria that helped facilitate my travel and coordinate my research as well as welcoming me into their homes and communities.
Of course none of this would be possible without the mentorship of my dissertation guidance committee, including Drs. Walter Hawthorne, Pero Dagbovie, and Glenn Chambers, and the committee chair, my academic advisor, the Jack and Margaret Sweet Endowed Professor of History, Dr. Nwando Achebe.
Finally, I want to thank my family and friends who have supported my love of history and Igbo culture and my ambition to earn my PhD and build my academic career.
My 2018 research trip was made possible by support from the Fulbright Institute of International Education (IIE), and the Social Science Research Council’s International Dissertation Research Fellowship, with funds provided by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Photo Gallery
A look into my time in Ogidi and Enugu, Nigeria (2015, 2016, 2018)