Michael West

Michael West is a Professor of African American Studies, History, and African Studies at Pennsylvania State University. His academic work focuses on global Africa, with a particular emphasis on African American and African Diaspora history and culture.

• Education:
  • B.A. in Political Science from Lake Forest College
  • Ph.D. in History from Harvard University

His research spans colonial Zimbabwe, African diaspora, and transnational Black Power movements. He has authored The Rise of an African Middle Class and co-edited volumes on Africa's academic study and Black internationalism.

West teaches courses including Slavery and Freedom in the Black Atlantic, The Life and Thought of Malcolm X, and seminars on African American Studies. He is currently working on a manuscript titled Kwame Nkrumah and Global Black Power Movement.