Abstract

Exploring the short yet productive life of nineteenth-century polymath Africanus Horton, this talk examines the pioneering contributions to the modern world of this scientist, medical doctor, political and educational theorist, financier, soldier, and activist. But his life was not without twists and turns, raising the question: what does it mean to be an “engaged scientist” in today’s world? Not only will we learn about Horton’s immense scientific achievements, we will explore how his work in medicinal botany, health science, general medicine, and medical education helped to shape his political thought as a nationalist and constitutional theorist. There is no denying that in the modern academy, at times it seems as if the sciences couldn’t be farther from the humanities. This in an educational clime that paradoxically champions interdisciplinarity. A dissection of Horton’s life and work will help us to think about the intrinsic interconnectedness of the natural and human sciences, and the opportunities this affords to the budding polymaths of today.

Our speaker is Apeike Umoku.

Biography:

Apeike Umolu is a historian of political thought. Her research focuses on theories of nation, state, and citizenship in the nineteenth century. She is currently a joint Arts and Humanities Research Council DTP Scholar and Queens’ College Alexander Crummell PhD Scholar at the University of Cambridge where she is researching the intellectual history of patriotism in the nineteenth-century pan-African world.

Apeike is the Director of the African History Project, an institute dedicated to widening access to African history. She also sits on the Education Advisory Board of the Royal African Society and was previously appointed Chair for Culture and Identity at the Pan-African Youth Conference 2022 co-hosted by the University of Notre Dame and Northwestern University. A seasoned public historian, she has collaborated with the University of Bristol and CARGO Education to deliver teacher training on history teaching at KS3 , with the Africa Centre London on initiatives exploring the future of Pan-African cooperation, and with the Institute of Pan-African Thought and Conversation at the University of Johannesburg chairing townhall discussions on the intellectual history of Pan-Africanism. Prior to re-training as a historian, Apeike was a banking and finance lawyer in the City of London.