Holly Hanson

Holly Hanson "received her PhD from the University of Florida in 1997 and has been the recipient of a number of scholarly awards, including two Fulbrights and a National Endowment for the Humanities fellowship.

"She teaches history at Mount Holyoke College, which is the oldest university for women in the United States, and one specifically commended by ‘Abdu’l Bahá. In courses such as “The History of Global Inequality” and “African Cities: Development Dreams and Nightmares” she asks students to consider how human actions have created the world as it is, and what kinds of actions will be necessary to transform modern societies.

"Dr. Hanson is the author of Landed Obligation: the Practice of Power in Buganda, Social and Economic Development: A Bahá’í Approach, and numerous essays on Ugandan history, social justice and the processes of social transformation. In Uganda, she is involved with the discourse on science, religion and development and works with Kimanya-Ng’eyo, an organization attempting to initiate a program of rural education developed by FUNDAEC.

"Dr. Hanson has two grown children and currently lives in South Hadley, Western Massachusetts."


 * Executive Committee, Five College African Scholars Program