The North-West University’s (NWU’s) Indigenous Language Media in Africa (ILMA) research entity will be hosting Prof Toyin Omoyeni Falola, the Jacob and Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair in the Humanities at the University of Texas in the United States.
This renowned scholar will present a series of seminars and a public lecture on the NWU’s Mahikeng Campus.
The seminar series will take place on 1 and 2 August and will focus on various topics. These include pathways to success in postgraduate studies – expectations from supervisees and supervisors, the place of the humanities in academia and society, pursuing a successful career in academia, as well as decolonising the curriculum and research in Africa.
This will then be followed by the hybrid format public lecture on communication, media, culture, and evolving trends in the world of indigenous languages on 3 August.
ILMA director Prof Abiodun Salawu says these engagements are important to stimulate scholarship within the Faculty of Humanities and the university community in general.
“These seminars and public lecture will be beneficial to undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as emerging and established scholars,” says Prof Salawu.
More about the scholar
Prof Falola is a prominent historian who started his formative years in Nigeria. His academic career started in 1970 as a schoolteacher in Pahayi, Ogun State. By 1981, he had risen to the rank of lecturer at the University of Ife, where his intellectual prowess captivated students and colleagues alike.
In 1991, Prof Falola's expertise attracted the University of Texas in Austin, where he assumed the prestigious Jacob and Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair in the Humanities.
Throughout his career, he also taught at renowned institutions such as the University of Cambridge, York University, and the Australian National University, elevating the study of African history to a global stage.
Prof Falola's research is deeply rooted in the tradition of the Ibadan School, focusing primarily on African history since the 19th century. His insatiable curiosity has led him to explore various geographical areas, including Africa, Latin America, and the United States. Within these contexts, he delves into diverse thematic fields such as Atlantic history, diaspora and migration, empire and globalisation, intellectual history, international relations, religion and culture.
With a staggering collection of more than 100 books authored or edited by him, his contributions to the field of African studies are both prolific and far-reaching.
His contributions have garnered him numerous prestigious honours and awards from various corners of the globe. Among his accolades are the Lincoln Award, the Nigerian Diaspora Academic Prize, the Cheikh Anta Diop Award, the Amistad Award, the SIRAS Award for Outstanding Contribution to African Studies, and the Africana Studies Distinguished Global Scholar Lifetime Achievement Award.
He is an emeritus professor of humanities at Lead City University in Ibadan, and a fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Letters and the Historical Society of Nigeria. He holds honorary doctorates from 13 universities.
Prof Toyin Omoyeni Falola.
