Derek R. Peterson

Derek R. Peterson is the Ali Mazrui Collegiate Professor of History and Afro-American and African Studies at the University of Michigan. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota (2000). His research focuses on East African intellectual cultures, particularly Uganda, with notable works like Ethnic Patriotism and the East African Revival (2012), which earned prestigious awards including the Herskovits Prize and Martin Klein Prize. Peterson is a Fellow of the British Academy and recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship (2017).

He oversees preservation efforts for endangered Ugandan archives, collaborating with Mountains of the Moon University, and co-edits the New African Histories series. His teaching includes African literature, Christianity, and global family history. Grants include a $1.5M Mellon Foundation award for transnational humanities collaboration with South Africa’s Wits Institute.

Peterson’s editorial roles span Africa, Journal of Contemporary History, and others. He has held visiting fellowships at the University of Notre Dame, Humboldt University, and Makerere University. His work bridges archival preservation, religious studies, and postcolonial critique, emphasizing Africa’s intellectual agency in global narratives.