Grants
Previous Recipients
2007 Undergraduates Grants
Khary O. Francis, Lowell House, a Social Studies concentrator, investigated the influence of mode of instruction in teacher training on the understanding of Curriculum 2005 in South Africa.
Milo M. Harman, Pforzheimer House, a History concentrator, traveled to Ethiopia to study the Falash Mura.
Alexandra M. Jacobs, Kirkland House, a History concentrator, researched in Senegal on the Rassemblement démocratique african and its role in West African decolonization.
Ofole U. Mgbako, Eliot House, a History and Literature concentrator, traveled to Nigeria to research the political development of Wole Soyinka's life and literature from 1967-69.
Ashley L. Shuyler, Leverett House, a Social Studies concentrator, will study the national exam culture in Tanzania.
Susannah P. Wilson, Mather House, a History of Art and Architecture concentrator, studied the cultural, economic and medicinal significance of beads, in particular powder-glass beads, in Ghana.
2007 Graduate Student Grants
Adia Benton, Anthropology, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, conducted archival research in Freetown, Sierra Leone, to historicize ethnographic data on marriage and sexuality.
Jean Biem , Romance Languages & Literatures, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, traveled to Cameroon to examine aspects of women's agency in African culture and politics through an understanding of the anthropological, historical, social and political context of the works of novelist Werewere Liking.
Sharon Kivenko, Social Anthropology, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, studied the transnational flows of Bamana dance forms through a study of itinerant African artists' performance practices in Mali.
Timothy Mah, Population and International Health, Harvard School of Public Health, conducted a quantitative survey and analysis of predictors and risks associated with concurrent sexual partners for HIV prevention in Southern Africa.
Carla D. Martin, African & African American Studies (Anthropology), Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, will travel to Cape Verde to study connections among members of the Cape Verdean Diaspora in U.S. and Cape Verdeans with a focus on popular music and sociolinguistic practices of youth.
Benjamin Piper, Administration, Planning & Social Policy, Graduate School of Education, conducted a mixed methods study of the impact of in-service education and training on achievement in Ethiopia.
Allistair M. Witten, Administration, Planning & Social Policy, Graduate School of Education, studied the role of schools in confronting the challenges of HIV/AIDS in South Africa.
2006 Undergraduate Grants
Megan Camm, "Impact of the Xhosa Cattle Killing: What Oral Narratives Tell Us 150 Years Later," in South Africa.
Kafui Gbewonyo, "A Comparative Study of the Use of Wastewater in Agriculture in Ghana and Kern County, California."
Leah Pillsbury, "Language and Education Policy in Tanzanian Schools."
Anne Romatowski, "The Influence of Female Genital Cutting and Local Language Programs on National Identity in Senegal."
Kathleen Walro, "An Analysis of the Relationship Between De Beers and the South African State in 1986 and 2005."
2006 Graduate Grants
Laura Murphy, "Irruptions of Memory: The Transatlantic Slave Trade in the Literature of West Africa" in Nigeria. She was a recipient of a Jennifer Oppenheimer African Studies Graduate Student Research Grant.
Ijeoma Nwachukwu, Harvard Law School, "Law and the Politics of Educational Reform in Nigeria."
Harmony O'Rourke, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, "Diasporas and Knowledge Systems: Changing Notions of Cleanliness, Health and the Body" in Cameroon. She was a recipient of a Jennifer Oppenheimer African Studies Graduate Student Research Grant.
Gemma Rodriguez, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, "Guns and Rhodes: The Colonial and Postcolonial Urban Landscapes of Harare, 1890-present" in Zimbabwe. She was the recipient of a Jennifer Oppenheimer African Studies Graduate Student Research Grant.
Sandra Sequeira, Kennedy School of Government, "The Political Economy of Transport Policies in Southern Africa" in South Africa and Mozambique.
Kwame Shabazz, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, "Ethnographic Fieldwork on Globalization, ‘Race,' and Neo-Traditionalism in Ghana."
Graziella Silva, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, "Comparison of Affirmative Action Policies in Higher Education in South Africa and Brazil."
2005 Undergraduate Grants
Lindsay Crouse, "The Legacy of the Dop System: Understanding Alcohol on South African Farms from Colonialism to the Present."
Kathryn Eidmann, "Role of Liberal Discourse in the Transnational Feminist Movement: Domestic Violence and Women's Advocacy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania."
Bethany Hoag, "Displaying Pain: Community Theater in the Fight Against HIV & AIDS in Swaziland."
Zoe Sachs-Arellano, "A Case Study on the Possibility of a Paradigm Shift in Approaches to International Development and Education: Focusing on Individual Agency," in Namibia.
Virginia Schnure, "Implementing Uganda's Health Care System with Severely Limited Means: An Ethnography of Buhinga Hospital's Doctors and Nurses."
2005 Graduate Grants
Sharon Abramowitz, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, "Trauma and War in Civilian Populations in West Africa," in Guinea and Liberia. She is a recipient of the Jennifer Oppenheimer Graduate Grant in African Studies.
Sana Aiyar, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, "Relationship Between the South Asian Diaspora in Kenya and the Government of India."
Jonathan Harris, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, "Traditional Governance and Local Economic Outcomes," in South Africa. He is a recipient of the Jennifer Oppenheimer Graduate Grant in African Studies.
Anne Hazel Mugo, Harvard Law School, "Evaluating Firms' Response to Information Costs and How Political Risk is Necessary for Successful Legal Reform," in South Africa.
Myles Osborne, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, "Kenya's Forgotten People: Ethnicity and Identity Among the Akamba, 1938-63."
Brian M. Wood, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, "Food Sharing Among Hadza Hunter Gatherers," in Tanzania. He is a recipient of the Jennifer Oppenheimer Graduate Grant in African Studies.
2004 Undergraduate Grants
Abigail Fee, "Effects of transporting Western family planning ideology into Ho, Ghana."
Lindsey Freeman, "Role of women's organizations in establishing peace and in reconstruction: a case study of 'Inclusive Security' in post-war Uganda."
Willa Friedman, "Educational projects and programs aimed at improving social capital in community schools in Kati, Mali."
Christopher Golden, "Bushmeat consumption in the Makira Forest, Madagascar: an evaluation of economic incentives in wildlife conservation."
Ashley Horan, "Evolution of oral traditions in urban areas of Cameroon."
Itumeleng Makgetla, "Large South African banking groups' approach to low-income housing finance as an indicator of their interest in the domestic economy and internationalizing tendencies." She is this year's Harvard African Students Alumni Network (HASAN) grant recipient.
2004 Graduate Grants
Sonya Anderson, Graduate School of Education, "'Girl friendly' education: teachers' beliefs and praxis in classrooms in Benin."
David Evans, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, "Orphans and schooling in Africa: a longitudinal analysis in Kenya."
Leora Maltz, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, "Landscapes of home: aesthetics and identities in the new South Africa."
Myles Osborne, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, "Role and impact of the Kamba on the anti-colonial struggle in Kenya."
Abena Osseo-Asare, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, "Representing poison: scientists, healers and the transformation of plant medicine in Ghana since 1850."
Corrinne Williams, Harvard School of Public Health, "Consequences of domestic violence on women's health in Tanzania."
2003 Undergraduate Grants
Adeline Boatin, an Environmental Sciences and Public Policy concentrator, traveled to Rwanda to examine changing farming practices in Rwanda post-genocide and implications on environmental management.
Justina Hierta, a Government concentrator, traveled to Rwanda to explore effects of government policies on local civil society's ability to foster interaction in a democratic manner.
Shakirah Hudani, a Social Studies concentrator, traveled to Rwanda to work research themes of confession, forgiveness and the use of religious rhetoric to reconfigure historical memory in post-genocide Rwanda. She was the Harvard African Students Alumni Network (HASAN) grant recipient of 2003.
2003 Oppenheimer Graduate Grants
Sandy (Prita) Meier, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, History of Art and Architecture, traveled to Kenya preliminary pre-dissertation research on architectural landscapes of Swahili coast urban centers.
Gaston Sorgho, Harvard School of Public Health, Population and Reproductive Health, traveled to Mali and Senegal for an evaluation of health sector reform impact on reproductive health program activities in those West African countries.
Kristina Van Dyke, GSAS, History of Art and Architecture, traveled to Senegal to do archival research for her dissertation: Performance of Space: Reconceptualizing Urbanism and Architecture in the Middle Niger (Mali).
