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Nigerian archaeologist joins UEA as a Global Professor
By: Communications
Prof Sule Sani, from Ahmadu Bello University in Nigeria has been awarded a prestigious British Academy Global Professorship, to be held at the Sainsbury Research Unit (SRU) for four years starting this summer.
The British Academy’s Global Professorships are large investigator-led awards designed to attract established scholars to join a UK research institution to undertake ambitious, coherent and cutting-edge research in the humanities and social sciences.
Prof Sule San, who is one of just eight award recipients this year, said:
“I am delighted that the British Academy Global Professorship will allow me to return to the UEA, where I earned my doctoral degree. I aim to achieve a profound academic transformation through a project that combines archaeology and cultural heritage practice for the benefit of host communities. I am looking forward to what feels like a homecoming to give back to the University of East Anglia community.
“It is my hope that my Professorship will deepen the world-leading scholarship of UEA, and SRU more specifically, in the arts and archaeology of Africa. I also look forward to enhancing knowledge of Africa, through its heritage and archaeology, among communities of East Anglia and the UK. There is certainly no better place for this academic adventure to make an impact than the Sainsbury Research Unit (SRU), with its renowned Africa collections, library, rich community of students and resourceful faculty members that are transforming scholarly minds through an exemplary type of student mentorship.”
Building on his experience as a field archaeologist, educator and collections researcher, Prof Sule Sani will draw on archaeological, ethnographic, and archival data held in British and Nigerian museums to study large and under-researched collections from key Nigerian archaeological sites. He chose to be based at SRU in recognition of its world-leading expertise in the relevant fields and will also work with colleagues in the Sainsbury Centre and the British Museum.
This research, combining archaeology, museum practice, and stakeholder engagement, will bring new understandings of African history and research histories, and will invigorate academic collaborations between the UK and Nigeria. Prof Sule Sani’s Professorship will have a transformative impact on his research and that of UEA, while helping remedy current post-colonial issues on the role and value of museum collections.
Discover more about Global Professorships on the British Academy website.
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