Kerry Manzo

Kerry Manzo is an Assistant Professor of Global Studies and Chair of General Studies at Purchase College, State University of New York. His research focuses on decolonial methods in sex/gender diversity within 20th and 21st-century African literature, emphasizing resistance to colonial cisheteronormativity through queer and trans theory, postcolonial criticism, and Global South feminisms.

• BA and MA, University of Texas at El Paso
• PhD, Texas Tech University

His work interrogates the effects of coloniality on literary expression, publication, and reception of Anglophone African literature. Recent projects include a forthcoming book, Queer Contiguities of Nigerian Literature (2026), and contributions to The Year’s Work in English Studies. His publications explore intersections of queerness, postcoloniality, and transnationalism.

Key trends in his publications span African postcolonial literature, queer theory, and feminist theory, with a focus on decolonizing sex/gender, queer African narratives, and archival research. His work bridges literary criticism, gender studies, and cultural analysis.

Scientific Awards
• Pauline Yu Fellow in Comparative Literature (2021–22)
• Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Completion Fellowship (2018–19)
• Dissertation Research Fellowship from Harry Ransom Center (2016)
• William Bryan Gates Scholarship (2016–17)

Dr. Manzo contributes to the Queer African Studies Association and advises on literary and cultural projects. He teaches courses on contemporary global literature, decolonizing sex/gender, and child soldier narratives.