Research/Areas of Interest:
Modern East Africa
Education
- Ph.D., Modern African History, West Virginia University, Morgantown, United States, 2021
- M.A., Pan-African Studies, Syracuse University, Syracuse, United States, 2013
- B.A., Communication, Daystar University, Nairobi, Kenya, 2010
Biography
H. Muoki Mbunga is Assistant Professor of History at Tufts University. He holds a Ph.D. in Modern African History from West Virginia University and an M.A. in Pan-African Studies from Syracuse University. Dr. Mbunga is a cultural and social historian of modern East Africa. His research explores the intersecting histories of ritual, religion, and resistance. His ongoing book project, Mau Mau's Moral War, is a study of the ethical and religious history of the Mau Mau War in late colonial Kenya. It investigates two interrelated questions: (1) how did Mau Mau members reimagine multiple traditional rituals, ethics, and beliefs during the anticolonial struggle in Kenya? and (2) how did the ethical and religious convictions of Mau Mau members influence their war effort? The central argument is that the ethical and religious convictions of Mau Mau members profoundly shaped the movement's internal dynamics and military campaign. The book is a fresh look at what motivates members of subordinate groups to fight and resist their domination, despite the high likelihood of military defeat. It illustrates how a sociocultural lens can clarify complex historical narratives of war and violence.