Emmanuel U. Osayande

Emmanuel U. Osayande is a researcher, writer, and lawyer. He is currently a fellow at the Harvard Radcliffe Institute where he is completing a PhD dissertation in African studies and history. His research interests span legal history, international law, human rights, governance, and urban life, especially in modern Africa.

Osayande earned a JD with honors from Columbia Law School, an AM in African studies from Harvard University, an MA in history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a BA in history and strategic studies with first class honors from the University of Lagos, where he broke a 52-year-old academic record and graduated at the top of his class.

His scholarship has been published in African Research Review, the Canadian Journal of African Studies, Just Security, and Opinio Juris, among other outlets. His research has also been supported by the Mellon Foundation, the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, the Harvard Center for African Studies, and others.

Osayande is founder of Work to Know and Empower, a nonprofit/nongovernmental organization that intellectually empowers underserved youth.