Professor Neil Kodesh (History) recently won the Melville J. Herskovits Award for his book Beyond the Royal Gaze: Clanship and Public Healing in Buganda(University of Virginia Press, 2010).
The award is bestowed by the African Studies Association and recognizes the most important scholarly work in African studies published in English during the preceding year.
Kodesh's book examines the history of Buganda, a kingdom located in present-day Uganda, Africa from an alternative perspective.
Kodesh draws from a variety of sources to weave together a detailed account of what the kingdom looked like to those outside the central governance. In doing so, he emphasizes the importance of clan politics and public healing as a mechanism for community building within Buganda.
Story by Holly Hartung, College of Letters & Science