by Rebecca Hightower
On September 25, the University of West Georgia department of history marked the Great War’s centenary by convening a panel of local historians to examine the subject of Africa and the First World War.
Left to right: Dr. Moyd, Dr. McCullers, Dr. Page and Dr. Fogarty
“The First World War was a watershed in world history that affected and involved people around the globe, including Africa. We in the history department are very pleased that three excellent historians from around the country joined UWG’s own Dr. Molly McCullers to explore both the impact of the conflict for Africa and African influences on its course,” said Dr. Tim Schroer of the UWG department of history. “The panel showcased cutting-edge research for the West Georgia community, offering insight into how scholars today are writing the history of Africa and the First World War.”
The panel consisted of Dr. Melvin E. Page, professor emeritus at East Tennessee State University; Dr. Michelle R. Moyd, associate professor at Indiana University Bloomington; Dr. Richard. S. Fogarty, associate professor at University at Albany – SUNY; and Dr. Molly McCullers, UWG assistant professor of history.
Dr. Page has taught history at East Tennessee State University since 1987 and was selected as a Fulbright Professor in 1998 teaching at University of Natal, now named KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. Dr. Page’s areas of academic specialty include Africa and historical methodologies and research, and he is the author or editor of numerous books, most recently “The Chiwaya War: Malawians in the First World War.” For the UWG panel he presented “Black Men in a White Man's War.”
Dr. Moyd, a former intelligence officer for the United States Air Force, is the author of the book “Violent Intermediaries: African Soldiers, Conquest, and Everyday Colonialism in German East Africa.” She currently serves as an assistant professor at Indiana University Bloomington and was previously a resident fellow at the International Research Center: Work and Human Lifecycle in Global History, Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany as well as a history instructor at the United States Air Force Academy. She presented “Home Front as Front Line: Campaign Communities at War in East Africa, 1914-1918.”
Associate Professor at University at Albany – SUNY Dr. Fogarty presented “Africa, France, and the Great War, 100 Years On.” Dr. Fogarty authored “Race and War in France: Colonial Subjects in the French Army, 1914-1918” and co-edited “Empires in World War I: Shifting Frontiers and Imperial Dynamics in a Global Conflict.” In addition to the University at Albany-SUNY, Fogarty has taught history at Bridgewater College in Virginia, Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania, UC Santa Barbara in California and the University of Georgia.
Assistant Professor for UWG Dr. McCullers, presented “Battleground Southwest: Rebellion and Opportunity in the Great War.” Dr. McCullers has completed international research for the National Archives of Namibia, the National Archives of South Africa and the Vereinigten Evangelischen Missionsgesellschaft Archiv of Germany. In addition to teaching at UWG she has taught history for Davidson College, Spelman College and Emory University.
To find out more about the history programs and upcoming history presentations offered by UWG, please visit www.westga.edu/~history/.
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