Dawson McCall

I'm a social historian of 20th Century Africa and African Diasporas. My primary research agenda explores colonialism, decolonization, nation-building, and transnationalism in late colonial and independent Kenya, especially as it relates to the histories of Kenyan schools and sports. I'm currently working on a book project entitled Run, Pray, Read: Sports, Decolonization, and Nation-Building in a Kenyan High School, which traces the sports history of St. Patrick's High School, one of Kenya's most prominent secondary schools. I'm also in the process of creating a digital oral history archive documenting the global lives of Kenyan runners. My research and writing has appeared in The International Journal of the History of Sport, The Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History, and Africa is a Country. I teach courses on African, African Diasporas, and Global Histories, as well as Historiography, while also co-chairing Loyola's Black Studies program. I also advise History Majors and Black Studies Minors, and have worked with students to produce a digital Oral History Archive documenting the history of Expression, the precursor to Loyola's Black Student Union. In addition to the histories of sports and schools, my interests include histories of music, food, religion, activism, and anywhere people get together to share important social experiences and find joy and purpose in their lives. In a former life, I was a high school history teacher and coach.