Professor Oyeronke Oyewumi, a Nigerian gender scholar and daughther of first class monarch in Oyo state, the Soun if Ogbomosho; Oba Oladunni Oyewunmi, has been identified by the African Studies Association as the winner of its 2021 Distinguished Africanist Award.
Princess Oyeronke, a professor of sociology at Stony Brook University, New York is the first African woman to win the award since its inception.
In a letter, Stony Brook congratulated Prof. Oyewumi on her achievement.
“It is a great pleasure to inform you that the African Studies Association has selected you as the winner of the 2021 Distinguished Africanist Award,” the letter disclosed.
The prize package includes a $500 cash prize, a plaque, and a lifetime membership in the ASA.
Prof. Oyewumi will also enjoy a complimentary registration to the Annual Meeting.
The award was established to recognize those who have made significant contributions to African studies scholarship as well as service to the Africanist community over the course of their lives.
Prof. Oyewumi will receive the honor at the 64th Annual Meeting, which will take place virtually between November 16 and 20.
Prof. Oyewumi was a nominee for the African Studies Association’s Herskovitts Prize and won the Distinguished Book Award in the Gender and Sex Section of the American Sociological Association in 1998.
Professor Oyewumi has also received a number of prestigious research awards, including a Presidential fellowship, a Rockefeller Fellowship, and a Ford Foundation grant.