Shola (Olorunshola) Adenekan serves as Associate Professor of African Literature at Ghent University's Faculty of Art & Philosophy, Department of Languages and Cultures, where he leads the African Studies group. His academic journey spans multiple continents, having previously held positions as Assistant Professor of Literary and Cultural Analysis at the University of Amsterdam, a diaspora fellowship at the University of Ghana, and research positions at the Universities of Leeds, Bayreuth, and Bremen. Adenekan earned his PhD in African Studies from the University of Birmingham in 2012, following journalism training at the University of Westminster in 2001. His professional trajectory uniquely bridges journalism and academia, with early career experience at major media outlets including BBC News Online, The Guardian, and The Christian Science Monitor before transitioning to scholarly work. His research explores the dynamic intersection of African literature and digital technology, with particular focus on Yoruba print culture networks, sexuality in Africa, and digital humanities. Adenekan's work consistently examines how digital spaces transform literary production, community formation, and cultural expression across the continent, especially in Nigeria and Kenya. His scholarship reveals how online platforms enable new forms of literary engagement that circumvent traditional publishing constraints while fostering transnational communities. Analysis of Adenekan's publication record reveals a clear trajectory from early work on diaspora and national identity (2012-2014) toward increasingly sophisticated examinations of digital literary production, queer representation, and Yoruba cultural networks. His most recent publications demonstrate growing specialization in indigenous language media ecosystems and the material conditions of print culture in West Africa, culminating in his ERC-funded YorubaPrint project. Adenekan serves on the editorial board of Queer Studies in Media & Popular Culture as the principal expert on African queer writing and culture, and he publishes as editor of The New Black magazine . As Principal Investigator of the European Research Council Starting Grant project 'YorubaPrint' (2021-2027), Adenekan leads a research team including postdoctoral researchers and doctoral students. He actively mentors MA and PhD students in African literature, Yoruba studies, sexuality in Africa, African Digital Humanities, African cinema, and African book culture. His academic leadership extends to co-editing special issues on African Digital Humanities and developing a co-edited book on digital Africa. Adenekan's scholarly activities include directing research projects on Yoruba print culture networks and contributing to the academic community through conference participation, such as the African Literature Association's Lecture Series.
