Nana Kesse, Fellow, The National Endowment for the Humanities, Assistant Professor of African History, Clark University
Nana Kesse is a historian of Africa at Clark University and a Fellow of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). He specializes in the histories of water and the environment, slavery and the Atlantic slave trade, as well as the social and cultural history of West Africa. His research covers the last four centuries, focusing on the intricate relationships between humans, animals, and bodies of water in West Africa and how these connections have shaped the history of the region. Kesse is currently completing his book manuscript titled, Living with Water: Aqua-culture, Environment, and Slavery in West Africa, which examines the social and environmental history of Nzulezo, the only stilt-house community on water in Ghana and one of the few in Africa with a history dating back to the seventeenth century. His other scholarly works on the transatlantic slave trade and the African environment have appeared in peer-reviewed journals and other popular venues, including the International Journal of African Historical Studies and the global history podcast “Fascinating People, Fascinating Places.” These projects have generously been funded by competitive grants and fellowships, including the NEH Fellowships, Woodrow Wilson Fellowship, Fulbright-Hays Fellowship, and the Otumfuo Fellowship, awarded by the King of the Asante Kingdom in Ghana.
