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Faculty Directory

The Michigan State University African Studies Center has close to a hundred Core Faculty with experience on Africa, probably one of the largest in the nation. The Center features many scholars in social science, agricultural economics, African languages, the arts and humanities, education, health and medicine and many other fields.

The faculty members are listed alphabetically by college and departmental affiliation, noting geographical areas of Africa experience, and teaching and research interests.

If you are interested in becoming a part of the African Studies Center's Core Faculty, please fill out the Membership Request form

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Philip Effiong

Department: English & Theater Studies
Email: effiongp(at)msu.edu
Biography:
Philip Uko Effiong has been teaching at the college level for over 20 years and holds a PhD in Drama from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. He received his Master’s in Literature of the African Diaspora and Bachelor’s in English, both from the University of Calabar, Nigeria. Prior to joining Michigan State University (MSU) in the Spring of 2018, Philip taught drama, fiction, nonfiction, orature and writing at the University of Calabar, Nigeria; Regent University College of Science and Technology, Ghana; the University of Wisconsin, Madison; the University of Tennessee, Martin; the University of Delaware, Newark; Lincoln University, Pennsylvania and Morehouse College, Atlanta. He is also on the faculty of the University of Maryland University College where he teaches online classes in drama and African American literature. With a growing interest in interdisciplinarity, Philip teaches theatre, literature and history classes at MSU. His research interests also crisscross multiple disciplines and include: dictatorships and divine masks; influences of European drama and Greek tragedy on African and African diasporic drama; war literature, particularly wars fueled by religion; misrepresentations of Fela Kuti and his music; postcolonial and post-apartheid African literature; historic narratives that redefine Africa; the Maroons of Jamaica; Biafra and the creation of a new diaspora; the African diaspora in India and the Philippines; and the oral tradition. As a writing consultant, Philip has written documents covering development and healthcare for nonprofit, governmental and business organizations. He has also worked in information technology as an Oracle programmer.