The Board

Jamie Monson is Director of the African Studies Center and Professor of History at Michigan State University. A recognized researcher and scholar, Monson’s efforts have established her as a pioneer in China-Africa development studies. Her book, Africa’s Freedom Railway: How a Chinese Development Project Changed Lives and Livelihoods in Tanzania, explores the TAZARA railway, which was built with Chinese development aid in the 1970s.  Monson’s most recent project is a forthcoming book titled Looking East: Africa’s Historical Engagement with China.  She is also creating a documentary film based on life histories of TAZARA railway workers in Tanzania, Zambia and China.  Monson serves as Chairman of the Board of the Chinese in Africa/Africans in China Research Network (CA/AC) and is currently heading a new global initiative, “Building Trans-regional Connections Among Africa, Asia and Latin America,” that seeks to establish new scholarly paradigms for international studies.