Director

Richard Roberts
Director, Center for African Studies
Professor of History

Professor Roberts is currently interested in the social history of everyday life during the 25 years surrounding French conquest of the interior of West Africa. He is particularly interested in examining how colonial conquest and the establishment of colonial rule ushered in changes in African societies and economies. Professor Roberts teaches lecture courses on modern African history and more specialized courses on law in colonial Africa, the slave trade, health and society in Africa and African Societies and colonial states. He is the recipient of the Dean’s Award for Distinguished teaching and is the author of eight books and numerous journal publications. His most recent books are Litigants and Households: African Disputes and Colonial Coursts in the French Soudan, 1895-1912 (2005) and Intermediaries, Interpreters, and Clerks: African Employees in the Making of Modern Africa (2006).