Welcome to Dr Michael Odijie

Dr Michael Odijie will be joining the African Studies Centre at OSGA in October as Associate Professor in African History. Many thanks to Dr Odijie for making time to answer our questions ahead of his arrival.

Dr Michael Odijie

What is your main area of research?

I am currently completing a research project that investigates local abolitionist movements in Africa from the mid-19th century to the present day. Slavery was a major institution across all African regions throughout the 19th century, and the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade did not immediately lead to the end of local slavery. However, much of the existing research has focused primarily on European abolition, reflecting a Eurocentric perspective. What about the history of the local fight against slavery within different African cultures? This is the research gap that the African Abolitionism (AFRAB) project seeks to address. Within this framework, I study local abolitionist traditions in Ghana and Nigeria.

I also conduct research on the farming end of the cocoa-chocolate value chain in West Africa, where slavery and child labour are significant issues in the sector. My interest in cocoa farming in Ghana and Ivory Coast originated from my doctoral research. My doctoral work focused on the historical trade and development partnerships between the European Economic Community (EEC) and West African countries, particularly the Yaoundé Convention of 1963, the Lomé Convention of 1975, and the Economic Partnership Agreements, with a specific focus on Ivory Coast and Ghana. As the world's leading cocoa producers, the history of government policies in Ivory Coast and Ghana has been profoundly shaped by cocoa production and export. This led me to explore both historical and contemporary challenges in cocoa production, such as deforestation and modern forms of slavery within the value chain, as well as local solutions to these problems. However, because cocoa is a raw material for the chocolate industry, some local solutions are not in the interests of multinational buyers; consequently, issues in West African cocoa farming are often understood from the perspective and interests of European multinational buyers. I currently have a pending research grant to study local solutions to labour abuses, such as slavery and child trafficking, in the cocoa sector of Ghana and Ivory Coast, tracing these issues back to the colonial era. This constitutes my immediate future research plan.

Lastly, building on the contemporary aspect of my doctoral work, I conduct research on trade and industrial development in West Africa from a political economy perspective. For example, a significant initiative currently being implemented in Africa is the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). One of the aims of the AfCFTA is to break Africa's colonial legacy of exporting raw materials - a practice partly attributed to the trade partnerships mentioned earlier.

What has been your main focus recently?

I have been organising an exhibition and a series of public lectures at several universities in Nigeria. The exhibition is running at the National Museum in Lagos, with the aim of showcasing some of the research findings from the African Abolitionism research project. Titled ‘Nigerian Voices Against Slavery,’ the exhibition highlights many Nigerians who have fought against slavery over time. Some notable visitors so far include Aisha Augie-Kuta, the current Director-General at the Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilisation, who was particularly captivated by the exhibition. I personally guided her through the entire exhibition, and her visit has been one of the highlights. The exhibition has also been visited by Jody Benjamin and Ademide Adelusi-Adeluyi, both American scholars of African history, as well as Mojubaolu Olufunke Okome. Another memorable visitor was Aduke Gomez, who demonstrated extensive knowledge about the subject.

Several secondary schools and universities have organised visits for their students and teachers to engage with the exhibition, which has already sparked local debates among some stakeholders, such as local slave museums, which I am confident will continue long after the exhibition concludes.

What will you be teaching at OSGA?

I will be teaching some of the core courses for the MSc in African Studies and the MSt in Global and Imperial History. What is particularly exciting is that I am also preparing an option paper for students in both departments for Hilary term. The paper, titled ‘Slavery and Emancipation in Africa,’ provides a comprehensive examination of indigenous slavery and local struggles for emancipation in Africa. The study of indigenous slavery and the fight for freedom in Africa is often overshadowed by the transatlantic slave trade. This paper aims to fill this significant historiographical gap, offering a more nuanced understanding of African history and the diverse experiences of enslaved peoples and their struggles for freedom on the continent. I believe this will be a crucial paper because it will reveal the connections between local slavery and various other issues, such as the development of early nationalism in some countries, early gender movements, and more. Key topics will include colonial ambivalence towards indigenous slavery in Africa, local abolition efforts, grassroots slave-led resistance, gender perspectives, ritual enslavement, contemporary social movements of slave descendants, and modern forms of slavery in Africa. This multidisciplinary approach will help equip students with critical analytical skills and a deep understanding of African history and its ongoing human rights challenges.

What are you looking forward to about your time in Oxford?

I’m excited to join Oxford's vibrant academic community, where I look forward to contributing to and collaborating with leading scholars in my field. I have met some of my colleagues both in person and virtually, and I look forward to working with them. I am thrilled to now share a faculty with renowned scholars such as Professor Richard Reid and Professor Andrew Thompson in History, as well as Professor Rebekah Lee, Professor Miles Tendi and Dr Peter Brooke in African Studies. Additionally, I have often travelled to Oxford to access the Bodleian Archives and I am glad that they are now within easy reach. I am particularly eager to join St Antony’s College, which seems to be a highly diverse and dynamic environment with various research centres that facilitate interdisciplinary projects, allowing me to explore the broader implications of my work.