Morgan J. Robinson

Morgan J. Robinson is an Associate Professor in the Division of History of Science and Technology at Mississippi State University, specializing in Eastern African history. He serves as Director of the Institute for the Humanities and Graduate Recruiting Coordinator. His research focuses on language standardization, colonial bureaucracy, and the history of science in Africa. Robinson holds a PhD in History from Princeton University (2018), an MA from Princeton (2013), and a BA from Yale (2008).

• PhD: Princeton University, 2018
• MA: Princeton University, 2013
• BA: Yale University, 2008

His research examines processes like Swahili language standardization, the role of the postal system in Tanganyikan colonial administration, and intellectual histories of East Africa. Key works include his 2022 monograph A Language for the World, which traces the codification of Standard Swahili. His articles analyze colonial knowledge systems, transcontinental networks, and individual experiences of globalization. Robinson’s current projects explore the conceptualization of 'research' in early 20th-century East Africa.

His teaching includes undergraduate surveys on African civilizations and graduate seminars on imperialism, science history, and historiography.