Neil Kodesh

Neil Kodesh is Professor and Department Chair in History at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, specializing in East African history with focus on the Great Lakes region. His research integrates medical history, historical anthropology, and innovative methodologies for African historiography.

Education includes:

• Ph.D. in History, Northwestern University
• M.A. in History, Northwestern University
• B.A., Pomona College

Research explores the intersections of healing practices, political organization, and knowledge transmission in pre-colonial and colonial Buganda, employing multidisciplinary approaches to reconstruct African historical narratives.

Publications demonstrate consistent focus on African sociopolitical structures, healing traditions, and colonial impacts, utilizing anthropological frameworks to analyze historical change.

Awards include the Melville Herskovits Prize for outstanding scholarly work in African studies.

Advises graduate students in African history topics and collaborates on health/science research initiatives including the 'Mapping Hot Spots' project examining One Health approaches to infectious diseases.

Directs collaborative research clusters and previously co-organized the international conference 'Big Stories and Close (Up) Research: Health and Science in the African World'.