Britain’s first professor of history with African heritage speaking at Centre launch
SOAS University of London's new Centre for Pan-African Studies will be celebrating its launch with a lecture by the award-winning historian, Professor Hakim Adi.
Professor Hakim was the first historian of African heritage to become a professor of history in Britain when he was appointed Professor of the History of Africa and the African Diaspora at the University of Chichester. He is also a SOAS alumnus.
The Centre aims to establish itself as a platform for promoting interdisciplinary research, policy dialogues, and public engagement on issues related to the African continent and its diaspora.
In the first of the Centre’s lectures, Professor Hakim Adi will discuss the history of Pan-Africanism. The lecture will highlight the pivotal role of British-based activists in the emergence of modern Pan-Africanism since the founding of the African Association in 1897.
“Although I spent 12 years at SOAS as a student I’m very happy to be invited to speak at SOAS for the first time!”
Professor Hakim is author of several books translated into multiple languages and has appeared in many documentary films, TV and radio. He also played a key role in the founding of the History Matters initiative in 2014 and is the founder and consultant historian of the Young Historians Project.
The lectures by the new Centre for Pan African Studies will delve into the history of the concept of Pan-Africanism, exploring its evolution, its significance in anti-colonial and anti-racist movements, as well as its contemporary relevance in black activism and regional and continental policymaking.
Professor Adi’s lecture on Pan-Africanism history will be held in SOAS’s Djam Lecture Theatre on Tuesday 19 March, at 6pm – attendees must register to attend.
