Dr. Mohammed Salau is a Professor of History in the Department of History at the University of Mississippi.
Research Interests
Dr. Salau’s primary research focuses on Northern Nigeria and other parts of West Africa, mainly nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Over the years, his research has revolved around the following themes: Islam, slavery and other forms of unfree labor, imperialism, political violence, and African diaspora history.
Biography
Mohammed Bashir Salau received his BA from the University of Jos (Nigeria), his MA from Ahmadu Bello University (Nigeria), and his Ph.D. from York University (Canada). Before coming to the University of Mississippi in August 2006, he taught for a year in the history Department at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington State. Salau served as a guest editor for the special issue of the Journal of African Economic History published in honor of Paul Lovejoy. In addition, He has published two single authored monographs, one edited collection, and several articles. Salau is currently working on a book manuscript tentatively entitled Convict Labor in Colonial Nigeria: A History of State Imposed Forced Labor.
Publications
A Historical and Comparative Study
From the publisher:
Author Mohammed Bashir Salau analyzes key themes in the history of plantation slavery, especially plantation management and the acquisition, treatment, and control of slaves. Building on this analysis, Salau points to previously unknown ways in which the caliphal state prevented the development of serfdom, arguing that while social and economic factors played a role in the rise of slavery in the Sokoto caliphate, conscious political choice was the major factor for the rise and maintenance of plantation slavery. This study will be of major interest to students and scholars of slavery in Africa in general and in the Sokoto Caliphate in particular; in addition, through its comparative discussion it contributes to the literature on second slavery.
Selected Book(s):
Courses Taught
- HIST 1700 Introduction to African History
- HIST 3720 Decolonization in Africa
- HIST 3740 Nationalism in Africa
- HIST 3750 History of Islam in Africa
- HIST 3760 History of West Africa to 1800
- HIST 3770 History of West Africa Since 1800
- HIST 5700 Historiography of Precolonial Africa
- HIST 6700 Readings in Slavery in Africa
Education
B.A. History, University of Jos (1988)
Ph.D. History, York University (2005)