Kofi Asihene

My research revisits history through the lens of disability. I explore literature on – and representations of – persons with disability mainly during the transatlantic slave trade era. I hypothesize that there is a complex intersectionality of race, gender, slavery, dependency and disability that existed during this era. The goal of this research is to investigate this intersectionality, examining how these multiple factors compounded to create a unique experience of slavery and dependency for persons with disability. The focus is not only on the slaver and the disabled slave, but also the asymmetrical dependencies and othering that existed between the able-bodied slave and the disabled slave.

My research provides a fresh insight into slave narratives as well as the concept of intersectionality in historical and disability studies.

since 2019 
Ph.D. in African Studies, Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana

2015–2017
MPhil in African Studies, Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana

2010–2014
B.A. in English with French, University of Ghana