On Friday, January 23, the University of Florida’s Center for African Studies (CAS) and the Department of History jointly hosted an event celebrating the retirement of esteemed Professor Nancy Rose Hunt. Professor Joe Spillane, Chair of the Department of History, opened the event with remarks recognizing Professor Hunt’s contributions to the field. Reflecting the impact of Professor Hunt’s scholarship in African history and her deep commitment to supporting emerging researchers, six current UF graduate students in African history—Mosunmola Ogunmolaji, Zachary Wilmoth, Rutendo Rangisi, Ifeoma Aneke, Nmesoma Bernard, and Ozioma Ikeanyi—presented work showcasing diverse archival sources and compelling historical arguments. Spanning a wide range of African regions, societies, and time periods, their research highlighted both the intellectual breadth of the field and the enduring influence of Professor Hunt’s mentorship. The event left attendees with a renewed sense of promise for the future of African historical studies, echoing the excitement that accompanied Professor Hunt’s arrival in 2016.
Ph.D. candidate Mosunmola Ogunmolaji, as the event’s keynote speaker, delivered a noteworthy overview of her dissertation, titled “Nigerian Nurses on the Move: Colonial
Pathways to Britain, 1936-1950.” Under the mentorship of Professor Hunt, Mosunmola completed extensive archival research in Nigeria and the United Kingdom, amassing an impressive database of case files belonging to Nigerian nurses who applied to diverse British health institutions in the early-to-mid twentieth century. Guided by Professor Hunt’s scholarship, notably A Colonial Lexicon (1999), Mosunmola focused on the life stories of several Nigerian nurses, emphasizing their mobility as a historically embedded process. In her thank-you message to Professor Hunt, Mosunmola remarked upon Professor Hunt’s advice to “follow the traces” available in colonial archives to best
read for patterns of institutional gatekeeping and the individual negotiations with such colonial
power. Her scholarship, along with that of the other presenters, will surely advance the legacy of
African historical research community that Professor Hunt has fostered here at UF.
The Center for African Studies is deeply grateful to Professor Hunt for her years of dedication to the field and to the students whose scholarly voices she has helped shape. Events like this one remind us of what is possible when mentorship and intellectual rigor are modeled with such devotion. We are honored to have had Professor Hunt as part of our community, and we wish her a retirement as rich and adventurous as the scholarship she has given us.
Dr. Hunt captured the spirit of the evening in her own words:
The enthusiasm in the packed room (and even out the door) to hear about the ongoing historical research of these six doctoral students — with one soon completing her dissertation, all the way to a first-year — was thrilling and impressive. May UF CAS and UF History learn from the example: there is a hunger for such high profile events featuring students’ work-in-progress. Last but not least, as I depart: thank you, thank you, one and all!
– Dr. Nancy Rose Hunt, UF Professor Emerita
Photos taken by: Tricia Lopez, CLAS communication, and Abigail Ryan, CAS ambassador