I am a PhD Candidate in the Ohio University History department, focusing on the intersection between political activism, music, and cultural governance in the Senegambia since 1956. I also hold a BA in Black World Studies and History from Miami University, where I was a Dean’s Scholar, and an MA from OU in History. My research has dealt broadly with the intersection of popular culture, particularly music, politics, and intellectual history in Francophone West Africa and the Black Atlantic. I have previously written on the musical legacies of Burkinabé President Thomas Sankara and Congolese Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba, as well as music as historical pedagogy. More recently, my research has turned towards theoretical conceptions of decolonization and cultural governance in Africa.
You can find me on Twitter: @AfricanistJames
James J. Fisher 