Professor of History

james.meriwether@csuci.edu

 Jim Meriwether has long been interested in Africa and the transnational connections between the United States and that continent. This interest led to his first book, Proudly We Can Be Africans: Black Americans and Africa, 1935-1961, and to his current project, The United States and the Decolonization of Africa.

A third-generation Californian, Professor Meriwether earned his B.A. from Duke University, where he absorbed the importance of Duke basketball.  He then joined the Peace Corps and spent two-and-a-half years teaching in Botswana, followed by six months traveling through Asia. After returning, he earned his M.A. and Ph.D. in History from UCLA.

Since becoming a professor he has thoroughly enjoyed teaching a wide array of students. He also has been able to return to Africa twice more after being awarded Fulbright fellowships. The first occasion was to lecture and research for the 2000-01 year at the University of Zimbabwe, the second time to lecture and research at the University of Nairobi for 2007-08.