Teaching History in African Universities Today

Olutayo Adesina on the understanding of history and anthropology as disciplines, the roles of researchers and transforming questions of students

In this episode, Dr Anandita Bajpai, ZMO-research fellow meets Prof Olutayo Adesina, a visiting fellow at ZMO who teaches history at the University of Ibadan in Nigeria. His research focuses mainly on African and especially Nigerian history. He reflects on the meanings of anthropology and history in the context of what he calls an “African experience”. What does it mean to be a historian today? Which questions are asked in the classroom, and how has it changed over time? He also introduces his project “The First Frontier? Exploring the Ramifications of Hidden Histories from the Backs of Women in Southwest Nigeria” and his contribution to the “Remoboko” conference on religiosity on university campuses in West Africa. Throughout the episode, Anandita and Olutayo speak about

• His project “The First Frontier? Exploring the Ramifications of Hidden Histories from the Backs of Women in Southwest Nigeria”
• Whether he places himself as an anthropologist, a historian, an area specialist or a political scientist
• The distinctions of anthropology and history
• The new generation of students and the questions they ask regarding African history
• Intergenerational knowledge production
• The role of researchers towards society

Further information: https://www.zmo.de/en/events/the-first-frontier-exploring-the-ramifications-of-hidden-histories-from-the-backs-of-women-in-southwest-nigeria