Abiodun AdemiluwaGraduate Student
Born and raised in Nigeria, I received my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the Department of Classics, University of Ibadan. I continued my education at Northern Illinois University, earning a master’s degree in History. I am interested in Afro-European encounters, especially the intersections of power relations, gender, and violence between Europeans and Yoruba women in the Atlantic World. My past research has focused on “Perception of mental illness in ancient Greek and contemporary Yoruba Religious beliefs” and “Encounters in the Transatlantic Slave Trade: Enslaved Africans’ Impressions of Europeans in the Bight of Benin, 1800-1850.” Outside of my research interests, I enjoy listening to music and watching movies.
My research project involves investigating the role of Yoruba women in shaping the Atlantic World through the lens of encounters. I am currently learning Portuguese while exploring the historiographies of African, Indigenous, race, religion, gender, and slavery histories through coursework. In September 2023, I received a research award from the “Land Dispossession, Inequality and the Legacies of Slavery in Africa and Latin America” Provost Grant. Through this funding, I was able to conduct archival research and attend the 8th Annual Lagos Studies Association Conference in Lagos during the Summer of 2024. My visits to the Lagos State Research Archives Bureau, Lagos, the National Archives Ibadan, and the Kenneth Dike Library at the University of Ibadan were not just opportunities for archival experience but also for significant personal and academic growth. As I advance in my second year of coursework, I aim to further deepen my understanding of historiographies and historical research methodologies. Next summer, I am excited to explore more archives within and beyond Nigeria.
Education
- B.A., Department of Classics, University of Ibadan
- M.A., Department of Classics, University of Ibadan
- M.A., Department of History, Northern Illinois University
Research Interests
Black Atlantic
Afro-European Encounters
Women and Gender Studies
African diaspora
Religion
