Katherine Luongo

Katherine Luongo is an Associate Professor of History and International Affairs at Northeastern University, affiliated with the College of Social Sciences and Humanities. Her research focuses on the anthropological history of Kenya, legal systems in colonial and contemporary Africa, global legal regimes, human rights, and the intersection of witchcraft with migration and asylum policies. She holds a PhD from the University of Michigan (2006).

Research Interests
Her work explores legal frameworks in colonial Kenya, the role of supernatural beliefs in political and social dynamics, and the global implications of witchcraft allegations in refugee/asylum contexts. Key themes include:

• Colonial legal violence and postcolonial legal reform
• Witchcraft-driven migration and asylum policies
• Human rights activism in Kenya
• Obama family's Kenyan heritage

Key Publications
- African Witchcraft and Global Asylum-Seeking (2023) - Obama and Kenya: Contested Histories (2016) - Witchcraft and Colonial Rule in Kenya (2011)

Professional Contributions
Luongo co-authored influential analyses on Obama's Kenyan heritage during the 2016 U.S. election and has advised on cultural dimensions of refugee adjudication. Her current project examines human rights legal history in Kenya from the 1960s-1990s.