Lorelle Denise Semley (born 1969) is an American historian of Africa specialized in modern

West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Maurit ...

French imperialism The French colonial empire () comprised the overseas colonies, protectorates and mandate territories that came under French rule from the 16th century onward. A distinction is generally made between the "First French Colonial Empire", that existe ...

, gender, and the

Atlantic World The Atlantic World comprises the interactions among the peoples and empires bordering the Atlantic Ocean rim from the beginning of the Age of Discovery to the early 19th century. Atlantic history is split between three different contexts: trans-A ...

. She is a professor of history at the

College of the Holy Cross The College of the Holy Cross is a private, Jesuit liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts, about 40 miles (64 km) west of Boston. Founded in 1843, Holy Cross is the oldest Catholic college in New England and one of the oldest ...

Life

Semley completed a B.S. in French at the Georgetown University School of Languages and Linguistics in 1991. Her undergraduate advisors included Gwendolyn Mikell and David Johnson. She earned a M.A. in

African Studies African studies is the study of Africa, especially the continent's cultures and societies (as opposed to its geology, geography, zoology, etc.). The field includes the study of Africa's history (pre-colonial, colonial, post-colonial), demography ...

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

in 1995. Semley's interest in history and African studies was furthered graduate courses she took by Robert Harms, Angelique Haugerud, Christopher Miller, and Diana Wylie. Semley completed a M.A. (1996) and Ph.D. (2002) in History at

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

. Her dissertation was titled ''Kétu Identities: Islam, Gender, and French Colonialism in West Africa, 1850s-1960s''. Semley's doctoral advisor was

John Hunwick John Owen Hunwick (born 1936, Chard, Somerset, England, died 1 April 2015 in Skokie, Illinois, United States) was a noted British professor, author, and Africanist. He has published several books, articles and journals in the African Studies field ...

. Semley was an assistant professor in the history department at

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a Private university, private liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut. Founded in 1831 as a Men's colleges in the United States, men's college under the auspices of the Methodist Epis ...

from 2003 to 2011. She was chair of the African studies cluster from 2008 to 2010. She joined the faculty at the

in 2011 where she is a professor in the history department. Semley teaches courses in Africana studies,

peace and conflict studies Peace and conflict studies is a social science field that identifies and analyzes violent and nonviolent behaviours as well as the structural mechanisms attending conflicts (including social conflicts), with a view towards understanding those pro ...

, and gender, sexuality, and

women's studies Women's studies is an academic field that draws on feminist and interdisciplinary methods to place women's lives and experiences at the center of study, while examining social and cultural constructs of gender; systems of privilege and oppress ...

. She specializes in modern

, gender, and the

Selected works

* * Reviews of ''To be Free and French'': * * * * *

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Semley, Lorelle D. Living people 1969 births Place of birth missing (living people) Historians of Africa American Africanists American women historians African-American historians African-American women academics American women academics 21st-century African-American academics 21st-century American academics Wesleyan University faculty College of the Holy Cross faculty Georgetown College (Georgetown University) alumni Yale University alumni Northwestern University alumni 21st-century American women writers 21st-century American historians 21st-century African-American women writers 21st-century African-American writers 20th-century African-American academics 20th-century American academics 20th-century African-American women