After seven years of service, Leslie Hadfield is finishing her term as faculty coordinator of the Kennedy Center for International Studies’ Africana Studies program. We are pleased to announce that the new coordinator will be Dr. Peter Leman from the English Department, effective 1 July 2024.
Dr. Leman received his bachelor’s in English and Philosophy from the University of Idaho, followed by a master’s and PhD in English from the University of California, Irvine. After receiving his PhD in 2011, he began teaching at BYU. He’s been involved with the Kennedy Center since; he started working with the then-African Studies program shortly after being hired and has been a member of the program’s executive committee for years. In addition, he has given lectures at the Kennedy Center and has been involved with the European Studies program and former Center for the Study of Europe.
An 18-credit hour minor, “Africana Studies is an interdisciplinary program that basically encompasses all aspects of Black history, culture, and experience through both space and time,” Dr. Leman explains. “While that may seem overly ‘cosmic,’ it is not only accurate but also hints at one of my favorite areas of Africana Studies: Afrofuturism! The term ‘Africana’ includes the African continent, African American Studies, and the African Diaspora—i.e., all other parts of the globe where peoples of African origin have migrated or been forcibly taken (e.g., through the slave trade) throughout history. We have faculty from multiple departments who teach courses on a remarkable range of topics, time periods, and regions under this broad umbrella including South African Liberation Movements, Modern African History, African American Literature, Slavery in the US, Jazz History, Afro-Caribbean Literature, Afro-Brazilian Literature, Sociology of Race and Ethnicity, and much, much more.”
Dr. Leman’s own interest in Africa originated from living in Uganda and Ethiopia in 1997 as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Kenya Nairobi mission. Being from rural Idaho, he says, “this was, to put it mildly, an eye-opening experience for me—it was powerful and enriching, spiritually and otherwise. I met amazing people, learned the basics of multiple languages, ate remarkable foods, and had my worldview altered in deep and lasting ways. As a naturally curious person, I also came home in 1999 with a lot of questions. There was much about the people and history of East Africa, to say nothing of the rest of the continent, that I didn’t understand.” At the University of Idaho, he decided to take a class on African literature: “The novels, plays, and poems I read in that class felt so familiar, taking me back to many of the sites, communities, and personalities I’d become so familiar with in my time there, but the stories also helped fill gaps in my understanding and, ultimately, led to even more questions.” These questions inspired him to continue pursuing studies in English, and later specialized in Anglophone African literature at the University of California.
Of course, he hasn’t lost his love for African culture and literature. There are three main reasons why Dr. Leman continues to find Africana Studies enriching and why he believes all students should take classes from the program: “One, our entire planet has been undeniably and irrevocably shaped by empires throughout history. One of the most effective and compelling ways to gain an understanding of modern imperialism, its lingering ideologies, and its lasting effects is by studying Africa and the African diaspora. Two, there have been significant debates about race issues and race-related education in the US and beyond in recent years, and it is vital that we listen to Black voices and learn about Black history and experience so we can do more as individuals and communities to root out racism and overcome prejudices of all kinds. And three, African, African American, and Afro-Diasporic cultures and histories are simply fascinating.”
He continues, “The spark that keeps me going in my personal and professional life is the desire always to be learning new things, and there is such joy that comes from learning about Africa and Black history and experience generally. The African writers I study and teach are amazingly creative, imaginative, and full of insight about history and human experience, and my life and my students’ lives have been greatly enriched by studying writers like Chinua Achebe, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Okot p’Bitek, Ngugi wa Thiong’o, Mariama Ba, Ama Ata Aidoo, Athol Fugard, and so many more.”
As for what he aims to accomplish as the new African Studies faculty coordinator, “first and foremost, I simply hope to honor and preserve the amazing work done by the previous coordinators, Leslie Hadfield and Chantal Thompson,” Dr. Leman says. “Beyond that, I’m still figuring it out, but at the very least, I would like to help more students across campus see the personal and professional benefits that come from minoring in Africana Studies. No matter your major or professional goals, Africana Studies can truly set you apart and equip you with a sensitivity toward and appreciation for the diversity of cultures and perspectives that make up our world. One of the goals of a BYU education is being able to ‘go forth and serve,’ and the Africana Studies program is committed to helping students develop that ability with humility, understanding, and compassion for all of God’s children.”
Learn more about the Africana Studies minor here.