Derek R. Peterson

Derek R. Peterson (born May 13, 1971) is an American historian specializing in the cultural history of East Africa. He is currently a professor of history and African studies at the University of Michigan. ^[1]

He was the recipient of a MacArthur "Genius Grant" in 2017. ^{[2] [3] [4] [5] [6]}

Education and career

Born May 13, 1971, Peterson is from Maine, New York and attended Maine–Endwell High School. ^[7] He studied history and political science at the University of Rochester, graduating in 1993. His interest in African studies was sparked by a trip to Kenya in his sophomore year, and at Rochester he studied under African scholars Elias Mandala and Sam Nolutshungu. After graduating, he was awarded a Fulbright grant to study in Kenya for a year. He then went on to the University of Minnesota, studying with Allen Isaacman, and obtained his PhD in 2000. ^[8]

Peterson taught at the College of New Jersey between 2000 and 2004. ^[2] Between 2004 and 2009 he was the director of Centre for African Studies at the University of Cambridge, ^[9] where he edited a series of monographs on African studies, ^[10] and initiated an academic exchange programme between Cambridge and universities in Africa. ^[9]

He took a position at the University of Michigan in 2009, joining its newly founded African Studies Center (ASC). ^[4] Peterson teaches undergraduate courses on African literature, African Christianity, and family history in a global context. ^[11]

Peterson has been a visiting fellow at the University of Notre Dame's Kellogg Institute, ^[12] was elected a Corresponding Fellow of the British Academy in 2016, ^[13] and was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2016. ^[14] He won the African Studies Association's 2013 Hersokovits Prize for his book Ethnic Patriotism and the East African Revival. ^[15]

Selected publications

Monographs

• Ethnic Patriotism and the East African Revival: A History of Dissent. Cambridge University Press. 2012.
• Creative Writing: Translation, Bookkeeping, and the Work of Imagination in Colonial Kenya. Heinemann. 2004.
• A Popular History of Idi Amin's Uganda. Yale University Press. 2025.

Edited volumes

• Peterson, Derek R.; Hunter, Emma; Newell, Stephanie, eds. (2016). African Print Cultures: Newspapers and their Publics in Modern Africa. University of Michigan Press.
• —; Gavua, Kodzo; Rassool, Ciraj, eds. (2015). The Politics of Heritage in Africa: Economies, Histories, and Infrastructures. Cambridge University Press.
• —, ed. (2010). Abolitionism and Imperialism in Britain, Africa and the Atlantic. Ohio University Press.
• —; Macola, Giacomo, eds. (2009). Recasting the Past: History-Writing and Political Work in Modern Africa. Ohio University Press.
• —; Wolhof, Darren, eds. (2002). The Invention of Religion: Rethinking Belief in Politics and History. Rutgers University Press.

References

1. "Derek Peterson". U-M LSA Department of Afroamerican and African Studies (DAAS). University of Michigan . Retrieved 2017-12-22.
2. "MacArthur Fellows Program – Derek Peterson". MacArthur Foundation . Retrieved 2017-12-22.
3. Jaschik, Scott (2017-10-11). "Academics Among 'Genius' Grant Winners". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved 2017-12-22.
4. "Two University Of Michigan Professors Awarded MacArthur Foundation 'Genius Grants'". CBS Detroit. 2017-10-11. Retrieved 2017-12-22.
5. "University of Michigan professors earn $625K MacArthur 'genius grants'". MLive.com. 2017-10-11. Retrieved 2017-12-22.
6. Hiyama, Andrew (2017-10-11). "University professors awarded 2017 MacArthur genius grants". The Michigan Daily. Retrieved 2017-12-22.
7. Sullivan, Katie (2017-10-11). "M-E grad Derek Peterson named MacArthur Genius Award winner". Pressconnects. Retrieved 2017-12-22.
8. Knispel, Sandra (2017-10-11). "University alumnus wins MacArthur 'genius grant'". NewsCenter. University of Rochester . Retrieved 2017-12-22.
9. "Revitalising research in Africa". Research News. University of Cambridge. 2007-09-01. Retrieved 2017-12-22.
10. "Cambridge Centre of African Studies Series". Ohio University Press. Retrieved 2017-12-22.
11. "Derek Peterson | U-M LSA Department of History". lsa.umich.edu. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
12. "Derek Peterson". Kellogg Institute For International Studies. University of Notre Dame . Retrieved 2017-12-22.
13. "Professor Derek Peterson". British Academy . Retrieved 2017-12-22.
14. "Derek R. Peterson". John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation . Retrieved 2017-12-22.
15. "Derek R. Peterson". African Studies Association. 2017-01-03. Retrieved 2017-12-22.

External links

• Personal website
• Lists of research output from the University of Michigan
• Interview with the American Historical Review