He specializes in African political, social and cultural history. He earned his bachelor's in history from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and his master's and doctorate in history from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He is the recipient of grants and fellowships from organizations, including the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Johns Hopkins University Center for Africana Studies, the University of Virginia’s Carter G. Woodson Institute, the Council on Library and Information Resources, the American Historical Association and the West African Research Association.