Adam Ashforth

Adam Ashforth is a Professor of Afroamerican and African Studies at the University of Michigan's College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. He holds a faculty position in the Department of Afroamerican and African Studies (DAAS), located in Haven Hall. His research focuses on state formation, spiritual insecurity, and the intersection of politics with everyday life in Africa, particularly in South Africa, Malawi, and Kenya. He has conducted long-term fieldwork in Soweto during South Africa's democratic transition and currently studies responses to HIV/AIDS in rural Malawi and ethnic conflict in Kenya's Rift Valley.

His major works include The Politics of Official Discourse in Twentieth-Century South Africa (Oxford, 1990), Madumo: A Man Bewitched (Chicago, 2000), and Witchcraft, Violence, and Democracy in South Africa (Chicago, 2005), which won the Herskovits Award. His research bridges anthropology and political science, addressing topics like witchcraft accusations, public health crises, and postcolonial state-building.

Ashforth's publications analyze how spiritual beliefs interact with modern governance, particularly in contexts of insecurity and rapid social change. His recent work examines the politicization of HIV/AIDS in Malawi and the cultural dimensions of ethnic violence in Kenya. He contributes to debates on human security, epistemological frameworks in African studies, and the role of traditional knowledge systems in contemporary societies.

• Awards: Herskovits Award (2005)
• Labs/Teams: DAAS interdisciplinary research network, Malawi Journals Project
• Grants: Not explicitly listed in texts