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Dr. Mjiba Frehiwot

Dr. Mjiba Frehiwot
Position: 
Research Fellow
Email: 
mfrehiwot@ug.edu.gh
Office: 
Kwame Nkrumah Complex-Room 117
Section: 
History and Politics
Research Fellow

Mjiba Frehiwot is a Research Fellow at the Institute of African Studies at the University of Ghana. She is in the History and Politics Section of the Institute. Her research interests include Pan-African Political Thought, African Diaspora cultural and political identity, Decolonisation of knowledge production and Race and Identity in the African Diaspora.

Education

Ph.D. in African Studies - Howard University, Washington DC, 2011- Dissertation: Education and Pan-Africanism: A Case Study of Ghana, 1957-1966.

Master of Social Work - California State University Sacramento, Sacramento, California, 2000-Concentration: Community Organizing and Planning Administration​​​​​ -Thesis: Modern Day Slavery.

Bachelor of Arts, Social Work/African-American Studies - San Jose State University, San Jose, California, 1997

Research Areas
  • Pan-Africanism and Education
  • African Diaspora, Identity and Ghanaian Culture
  • Pan-Africanism in the 21st Century
  • African Political Thought and Decolonisation of Knowledge
  • African Centered Development Paradigm
  • Development Communication and Pan-Africanism
  • Tourism, Development and Decolonisation

Current Research Activities

Principle Investigator-“Outside or Inside: The Contributions of the African Diaspora to Ghanaian Cultural Life”-Part of the Andrew Mellon funded project under the University of Ghana Project titled Re-invigorating Humanities Research at UG (2018-2020).

Co-Principle Investigator-“Pan-African Political Thought: Gender and Decoloniality in Kwame Nkrumah and Julius Nyerere’s African Philosophy”- A 30th Anniversary Early Career Andrew Mellon Funded Project under the American University of Beirut. “Afro-Asian Futures Past”- Research Stream title, “Gender and Decoloniality in Modern African Political Thought and Societies (2019-2022). Website: https://www.aub.edu.lb/aafp/Pages/default.aspx

Recent Publications

Frehiwot, Mjiba (2018) Teaching Africa: Pan-Africanism, Ghana and the African Union, California, Conference Proceedings, June 2018 California State University/University of Ghana Faculty Seminar, University of Ghana Press.

Frehiwot, Mjiba (Under Review) Developing Pan-African Consciousness: Kwame Nkrumah’s use of print media in Ghana, 1957-1966, Journal of Pan-African Studies.

Frehiwot, Mjiba (2016) Kwame Nkrumah’s Social-Political Thought and the Pan-African Movement. In Jacob Gordon’s (Eds.), Revisiting Kwame Nkrumah: Pathways for the Future (128-139). Trenton, New Jersey: Africa World Press.

Frehiwot, Mjiba (2015).  Pan-African Education: A Case Study of the Kwame Nkrumah Ideological Institute, Print Media and the Ghana Young Pioneer Movement. In Quist-Adade, Charles, and Vincent Dodoo (Eds.), Africa's Many Divides and Africa's Future: Pursuing Nkrumah's Vision of Pan-Africanism in an Era of Globalization (296-322). Newcastle upon Tyne United Kingdom: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

Conference, Seminar and Keynote Presentations

“Race and Gender: The challenges of African/Black Study Abroad Students”-Studying Abroad in the Republic of Ghana: Preparing Students for Global Citizenship-African Regent Hotel-Feb 20-24, 2019

“Rasta Recruiting Soldiers from Near and Far: The role of Pan-Africanism in the Academy”-Howard University Department of African Studies, “African Studies Palaver Series”-Founders Library-22nd January 2019.

 “Teaching Africa: Pan-Africanism, Ghana and the African Union”, California, Conference Proceedings, June 2018 California State University/University of Ghana Faculty Seminar, University of Ghana.

“Pan-Africanism And Class Struggle In The Era Of Globalisation” Review Of The African Political Economy The Dar Es Salaam Roape Connections Workshop- Theme: Imperialism In Africa Today: The Place Of Class Struggles And Progressive Politics, COUNCIL CHAMBER, UNIVERSITY OF DAR ES SALAAM, 16-17 APRIL 2018.

“Education and Pan-Africanism: The Interdependent Relationship between two Powerhouses”, 2nd Kwame Nkrumah Pan-African Intellectual and Cultural Festival-June 25-July 1, 2017, University of Ghana, Institute of African Studies, Session 4: “New Forms of Pan-Africanism”.

“The Cock Crows: The Print Media, Pan-Africanism and Mass Participation”, 2nd Biennial Conference African Studies Association Africa, October 12-14, 2017, University of Ghana, Institute of African Studies, Session 5.6: “Pan-Africanism, African Unity and The African Union II”.

“Kwame Nkrumah, African Institutions and Ideological Transformation”, Kwame Nkrumah International Conference-Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology: September 2012.

“Kwame Nkrumah and African Centered Institutions to promote Pan-Africanism”, International Conference on African Studies-University of Ghana, Legon-Institute of African Studies October 2013.

“Kwame Nkrumah, African Institutions and Ideological Transformation”. Kwame Nkrumah International Conference-Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology: September 2012.

“Information Education and Pan-Africanism”, National Council of Black Studies Conference-Cincinnati, Ohio- March 2011.

“Informal Education and Pan-Africanism”, Cheikh Anta Diop International Conference- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania October 2010.     

“Education and Pan-Africanism: A case study of Ghana 1957-1966”, African Studies Association-San Francisco, California-November 2010.

Keynote and Plenary

“Social Justice-The Return of Global Slavery Are we for Sale”, DuBois, Nkrumah, Padmore Lecture Series-Republic of Ghana’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism, W.E.B. Du Bois Centre for Pan-African Culture and Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, W.E.B. Du Bois Centre, 20th September 2018 (Keynote Presentation)

“Shirley Graham DuBois the Pan-Africanism and Feminist” Plaque and Wreath laying presentation ceremony in honour of Dr. Shirley Graham Du Bois-W.E.B. DuBois Centre for Pan-African Culture and Oberlin University-July 3, 2018 (Keynote Presentation)

“The PAI’s (Pan-African Intelligentsia) Challenge to Assert a Pan-African Model of Development”, Kwame Nkrumah International Conference, Lincoln University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, September 2016 (Plenary Presentation)

 

Teaching and Supervision

Undergraduate: 

  • Africa in the Contemporary World
  • Africa and the Diaspora

Graduate: 

  • Government and Politics in Early Post Independent Africa
  • Pan-Africanism and African Unity
  • Social Movements in Africa
  • State and Politics in Africa

THESIS AND DISSERTATION

  • Warren, Shannon- The disregarded lens: the marginalization of black women in cinema, a look at Ghana & the United States-Phd Dissertation-Howard University-Department of African Studies-2018
  • Asare, Richmond-Chasing the Shadow: Kwame Nkrumah and the United States of Africa and its Relevance on the 21st Century-University of Ghana-Institute of African Studies (2019-2020)