Introduction

I am a socio-cultural anthropologist, translator of Swahili literature, and novelist. I was born in Belgium, and grew up in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Belgium, and South Africa. After obtaining a B.A. in African Studies from Bryn Mawr College in 1991, I acquired an MA and PhD in anthropology, and an MFA in creative writing, from Indiana University (2003). As an anthropologist, I focus on the historical and mystical imaginations, social geography, and daily life in Pemba, Zanzibar. My work in literary translation seeks to bring into English works whose language and orientation challenge Western notions of geography and power. My own fiction writing (published as N.S. Koenings) explores questions of identity, race, language, and gender in East Africa. I grew up speaking French and Swahili, and continue to study other languages, including Arabic and German.

Roles and Responsibilities

Current: College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Associate Professor of Anthropology Fellow, Academy for Advanced African Studies at Bayreuth University (Bavaria, Germany) (October-December 2019)

Asociate Professor of Interdsiciplinary Arts and Swahili Studies, Hampshire College (USA)

(2004-2019)

Memberships

American Anthropological Association

African Studies Association

Islam in Africa Study Group

British Africa Society

African Literature Association

CHAUKIDU – Association for the Global Promotion of the Swahili Language.