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Summary

Charles Tshimanga-Kashama is an Associate Professor in the Department of History at the University of ÁùºÏ±¦µä, Reno. He holds a Ph.D. in history from the University of Paris (France). Before coming to UNR, he taught in Paris at the University of Marne-la-Vallée and at the University of Paris 8. He also spent one year as a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor (2002–03). He is the author of Jeunesse, formation et société au Congo/Kinshasa, 1890–1960 [Youth, education and society in the Congo/Kinshasa, 1890–1960] (2001); and co-author of L'Abako et l'indépendance du Congo Belge: Dix ans de nationalisme Kongo, 1950–1960 [The Bakongo Alliance (Abako) and the independence of Belgian Congo: ten years of Kongo Nationalism, 1950–1960] (2003). He is also co-editor of Frenchness and the African Diaspora: Identity and Uprising in Contemporary France (2009); Ecrire l'histoire de l'Afrique autrement? [Writing African history differently?] (2004); Histoire et devenir de l'Afrique noire au vingtième siècle: Travaux en cours [History and the future of Sub-Saharan Africa in the 20th century: works in progress] (2001). 

Prof. Charles Tshimanga-Kashama is currently conducting a comprehensive research project that analyzes the concept of the nation-state in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He examines if, since achieving independence in 1960, Congolese people have “imagined” a new type of statecraft different from that created by Belgium the former colonizer. Simultaneously, Tshimanga-Kashama analyzes the Congolese Diaspora in western countries such as Belgium, France, the U.S., U.K. and Canada, in the late 20th-early 21st century. He seeks to understand the significance of this diaspora, its geography and related concepts such as a Diasporic consciousness and the cultures that have emerged. He also analyzes the manner in which the global Congolese Diaspora is becoming a significant source of hope and a means to aspire for change in the Congo’s current situation. He teaches a variety of courses on African History, African Civilizations, Islam in Africa, Culture and Societies in Africa, Colonial Africa, Postcolonial Studies, and the African Diaspora and Popular culture. He also teaches The Modern World (in the Core Humanities Program) and previously served as Joe Crowley Distinguished Professor of the Humanities (2013-2015).

Research interests

• African Studies
• Post-Colonial Studies
• Diaspora Studies (The African Diaspora in France)

International Activities

• Research on the African Diaspora in France.
• Research on the Democratic Republic of Congo.

International research projects

• DR Congo: Ongoing Challenges and Glimmers of Hope

Languages Spoken

• English
• French
• Luba
• Lingala
• Swahili
• Kongo

International Organizations/Associations

• African Studies Association
• Central African Studies Association
• (CESSMA)

Courses Taught

• CH 202: "The Modern World" (in the Core Humanities Program).
• HIST 230: "History of Africa I: History of Africa to 1850."
• HIST 231: "History of Africa II: Modern Africa."
• HIST 231A: "Islam in Africa" (New class to be taught in the coming semesters.)
• HIST 300: "Historical Research and Writing."
• HIST 340: "African Diaspora and Popular Culture."
• HIST 477/677: "Culture and Society in Modern Africa."
• HIST 703: "Black Intellectuals, the Idea of Africa, and Post-Colonial Studies."

Publications

• Co-editor of Frenchness and the African Diaspora: Identity and Uprising in Contemporary France (2009).
• Jeunesse, formation et société au Congo/Kinshasa, 1890-1960 [Youth, Education and Society in the Congo/Kinshasa. 1890-1960] (2001).
• Co-author of "L'Abako et l'indépendance du Congo Belge. Dix ans de nationalisme Kongo, 1950-1960" [The Bakongo Alliance (Abako) and the Independence of Belgian Congo. Ten Years of Kongo Nationalism, 1950-1960] (2003).
• Co-editor of Ecrire l'histoire de l'Afrique autrement? [Writing African History Differently?] (2004).
• Co-editor of Histoire et devenir de l'Afrique noire au vingtième siècle. Travaux en cours [History and the Future of Sub-Saharan Africa in the 20th Century. Works in Progress], (2001).

Education

• Ph.D., History, University of Paris 7-Denis Diderot (France), 1999