Dr. Shadrack Nasong’o, professor of international studies at Rhodes College, has been granted a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award in political science from the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. He will use the award to teach and conduct research during the 2025-2026 academic year at the Institute for Global African Affairs (IGAA), which is located at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa.
In addition to participating in workshops and seminars, teaching in the politics department, and engaging with the community, Nasong’o will spend time conducting research on the topic of “the humanities in crisis.” Utilizing the massive body of literature generated by South Africa’s Human Sciences Research Council, the study seeks to examine the impact of neoliberal educational reforms on the humanities in universities in Africa with a particular focus on South Africa, Kenya, and Uganda. According to Nasong’o, the main argument is that what is currently termed as a crisis in the humanities and social science disciplines is essentially a crisis of humanity more generally.
Born and raised in Western Kenya, Nasong’o is a prominent critical voice on African politics. He has been widely recognized for his prolific research and scholarship on Africa, including being presented Rhodes’ Clarence Day Award for Outstanding Research and/or Creative Activity, the University of Texas at Austin’s Ali Mazrui Award for Research and Scholarly Excellence, the CODESRIA Diaspora Visiting Fellowship, and the Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship (2020 and 2022). His most recent books include Kenya and the Politics of a Postcolony (2024) and Beyond Disciplines: African Perspectives on Theory and Method (2025).
Since 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided talented and accomplished individuals with the opportunity to study, teach, and conduct research abroad. Fulbright U.S. Scholars (as distinguished from Fulbright U.S. Student Program participants) are faculty, researchers, administrators, and established professionals, who share their stories when returning to their home countries and institutions and often become active supporters of international exchange, inviting foreign scholars to campus and encouraging colleagues and students to go abroad.
Rhodes College faculty have earned Fulbright Awards for more than 35 years.