About

I teach in the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities (RCAH), an undergraduate-only college within Michigan State University (MSU). I am a Core Faculty member of the MSU African Studies Center and a Research Fellow in the Department of History at the University of the Free State (South Africa).

My current book project is a history of the negotiations for the Lesotho Highlands Water Project that took place between 1966 and 1986. It puts them in the context of the regional struggle against apartheid, the Cold War, and the internal politics of both Lesotho and South Africa. I argue that understanding this history is key to understanding contemporary dissatisfaction among citizens of both countries with their respective governments. The long shadow of apartheid continues to haunt the water resources of southern Africa. It will (hopefully) be published sometime in 2025.

My research has primarily focused on the history of the southern African country of Lesotho. I have written about the history of development, independence, nationalism, decolonization, and the history of the border between Lesotho and South Africa. My first book, entitled Dreams for Lesotho: Independence, Foreign Assistance, and Development came out in 2018 from the University of Notre Dame Press. It is also available in Lesotho and South Africa as it was republished in 2020 by the Morija Museum and Archives (http://www.morija.co.ls/museum/).

I also research and create digital projects on local history in the Lansing, MI area with my students. The links to my sites on Malcolm X in Lansing and Urban Renewal in Lansing are below.

I also write for media and popular publications on politics, economy, and development in Lesotho and southern Africa in general. Links to my author pages for South Africa’s Mail and Guardian and The Daily Maverick are below as well.