Boston University African Studies Center Rodney Seminars

The Walter Rodney Seminar lecture series was inaugurated in the fall of 1977, at the initiative of two doctoral candidates in Boston University’s political science department. It was named after Walter Rodney, the Guyanese scholar and political activist murdered in his native country in 1980, whose best-remembered book, How Europe Underdeveloped Africa (1972), has long been considered a classic in African studies. Over the past 35 years, the Walter Rodney Seminar has brought more than five hundred guest speakers to BU’s African Studies Center. The lecture series is interdisciplinary, and has included presentations by established and incipient scholars in all Africa-related disciplines, including history, anthropology, political science, economics, sociology, public health, literature, visual arts, musicology, religion, Islamic studies, international relations, and public diplomacy. “The Rodneys,” as they are often referred to, are a keystone of the weekly activities of the African Studies Center, and regularly fill the room with faculty, students, and community members.

“The Rodneys” are held most Mondays during the academic calendar, from 12:30 until 2:00pm ET. Currently, the seminars are all accessible via Zoom, but some hybrid in person events will be offered that will retain Zoom accessibility. In-person events take place in the center’s William O. Brown Seminar Room (Rm 505, 232 Bay State Road).