David Sandgren

Title: Professor
Department: History
Phone: 218.299.3502
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Degrees and Education:

  • Ph.D. African History: University of Wisconsin, Madison (1976)
  • M.A. Cmparative Tropical History: University of Wisconsin, Madison (1969)
  • Certificate in African Studies: University of Wisconsin, Madison (1969)
  • B.A. History and Social Studies Teacher Preparation: Augsburg College (1963)

Research / Teaching Interests:

For much of my career, I have been engaged in recovering, analyzing and writing about Kenyan responses to British colonial rule. Of particular interest to me have been the connections among three related areas: African protest, mission Christianity and literacy. Over the years, I have pursued these topics in three, year-long periods of fieldwork in Kenya. A book and several articles discuss the outcomes of this research.

More recently, I have become interested in the formation of Kenyan elites during the independence era. Using my former Kenyan high school students whom I taught 1963-67 and interviewed in the 1990s, I have gained insights into their careers, families and economic wellbeing. I explore the results of this research in a book to be published in the spring, 2012.