Obioma Nnaemeka
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Obioma Grace Nnaemeka | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Obioma Grace Nnaemeka | |
| Born | 1948 (age 78) |
| Occupation | Professor, Writer, Commentator, Cultural critic |
| Subject | Development, Women/Gender Studies, Literary Studies, Human rights, War and Conflict Resolution, African/African Diaspora Studies |
| Notable works | Nego-Feminism: Theorizing, Practicing, and Pruning Africa's Way (2004) |
Obioma Grace [1]Nnaemeka ⓘ (born 1948) is a Nigerian-American academic and intellectual with her academic specialization being Women and Gender Studies, Africa and Africa Diaspora Studies and French Literature. She is known for being the creator of and theorizing on the term “Nego-Feminism”. Nnaemeka serves at the Indiana University, Indianapolis in the capacity of Chancellor’s Professor.[1] She is the first Black female faculty at the university, and in addition, she is the first continental African to hold the title of Chancellor’s Professor at the same university.[1][2]
Dr Nnaemeka is a graduate of the prestigious University of Nigeria (UNN), Nsukka, where she obtained her undergraduate degree. Her graduate studies were carried out at University of Minnesota where she acquired her doctoral degree.[2][3]
Obioma Nnaemeka has been engaged in numerous academic, intellectual and adjacent activities which include (but are not limited to) being the founding president of the Association of African Women Scholars (AAWS), organizing transcontinental conferences within her research interests, aimed at bridging academic research on human rights, gender and African contexts, engaging in academic activism covering over 35 countries.[3] She has been the director of the Women’s Studies program at Indianapolis University, Indianapolis and a consultant for several international organizations like the World Bank and the United Nations (UN). In her role as a consultant to these international bodies, she was engaged in projects related to the role of women in post-genocide reconciliation, conflict resolution and environmental justice.[1]
Dr Nnaemeka has written and edited several books, authored and co-authored numerous scholarly articles related to feminist theory.[4]
Her many honors received include the Nigerian Achiever of the Year Award for Leadership, Daughter of Africa Award and honorary doctorates from two universities – University of KwaZulu Natal in 2023 and American University of Paris in 2022.[1][3]
Born in Agulu, Anambra state, Nigeria, Nnaemeka is from an Igbo family and has six other siblings. Even though her family possessed limited resources financially, her mother and father prioritized the education of their children. By working steadfastly to cover the cost of schooling for their children, in addition to support from their community and family members, they were able to make heavy investments into the education of their children. Of note amongst her siblings is elder sister to Dr Nnaemeka – Joy and her husband, Vincent Maduka – who played a huge role in enabling Nnaemeka pursue her studies amidst different kinds of challenges.[1]
Dr. Nnaemeka earned her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where she studied African Studies, French and German. She graduated with Honors (B.A. Hons.)[2]
In 1989 she obtained her PhD in French and Francophone Studies from the University of Minnesota.[5] She graduated with distinction.
Academic interests
Before arriving at Indiana University, Nnaemeka taught at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and at The College of Wooster, Wooster, Ohio.[citation needed] She is a board member of the Global Women’s Leadership Center at the Leavey School of Business.
Nnaemeka is interested in black women writers, feminist theory, transitional feminism, Francophone literatures, the oral and written works of Africans and the African diaspora, as well as gender and human rights[citation needed]. Gender-studies scholar Opportune Zongo wrote in 1996 that "[t]he power of Nnaemeka's work lies in her clear vision, superb intellect, excellent command of language, good sense of humor, and profound knowledge of the African landscape."[6]
She developed the idea of "nego-feminism (the feminism of negotiation; no ego feminism) as a term that names African feminisms."[7] This bases itself around the family and complementarity, rather than individual interests.[8] Nego-feminism is an academic concept introduced by Dr. Obioma Nnaemeka at international conference presentations on African feminism in 2003. A formal theorization was subsequently presented in her paper title “Nego-feminism : Theorizing, Practicing, and Pruning Africa's Way”(2004) She arrived at this framework by extensive examination of African gender dynamics, critiquing the tactics employed by Western feminism and identifying them as unsuitable for sociocultural realities found in different African realities.[9] Nego-feminism is firmly built on empirical observations of the agency exhibited by African women, drawing particularly on the relational harmony and adaptation found in Igbo cultural practices.[4]
Service
While at the University of Minnesota in pursuit of her PhD, Dr. Nnaemeka was the President of the Nigerian Students Association and was also active in the International Student Council.[citation needed] Additionally, Dr. Nnaemeka is the founder and president of the Association of African Women Scholars, as well as the President and CEO of the Jessie Obidiegwu Education Fund, an NGO dedicated to the education of women and girls in Africa.[citation needed] Combining her interests in research and teaching, Dr. Nnaemeka has consulted with various international agencies and academic institutions, including the United Nations and the World Bank.
Awards and positions
- President, Association of African Women Scholars
- CEO, Jessie Obidiegwu Education Fund
- Convener of Internal Conference on Women in African and the African Diaspora
- Distinguished Leadership Award for Internationals from University of Minnesota
- Rockefeller Humanist in Residence
- Edith Kreeger Wolf Distinguished Visiting Professor
- SIDA (Sweden)
- IRDC (Canada)
