| Nah Dove | |
| Birth Date: | 1940s |
| Education: | Polytechnic of North London (University of North London); Institute of Education |
| Alma Mater: | State University of New York at Buffalo |
| Occupation: | Author, lecturer and scholar |
| Employer: | Temple University |
| Relations: | Evelyn Dove Mabel Dove Danquah (aunts) |
| Notable Works: | Afrikan Mothers: Bearers of Culture, Makers of Social Change (1998); The Afrocentric School: A Blueprint (2021); Being Human Being: Transforming the Race Discourse (2021) |
Nah Dove (born 1940s)[1] is an author, lecturer and scholar in African-American studies. She has lived in Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Canada, the UK, and in the US, where she is an assistant professor instruction in the department of Africology and African American studies at the college of liberal arts, Temple University, Philadelphia.[2]
Her book Afrikan Mothers: Bearers of Culture, Makers of Social Change was published in 1998; some of her other publications include The Afrocentric School [a blueprint] (2021), Being Human Being: Transforming the Race Discourse (2021) co-authored with Dr Molefi Kete Asante, and a contribution to the 2019 anthology New Daughters of Africa, edited by Margaret Busby.[3]
Born to a Ghanaian father and an English mother, Nah Dove spent her early years in West Africa, before going with her family to live in Britain. She said in a 2015 interview with Angela Cobbinah: "I found England hostile and a place where I didn't fit in anywhere – I really hated school."[4] She was in her early twenties when she first married and became a mother, and after the failure of a second marriage she successfully raised six children as a single parent. She defines herself as "a proud mother, grandmother and great grandmother". At the age of 40 she studied for a degree at the Polytechnic of North London (later University of North London), after which she won a bursary in 1990 to study for a master's degree in sociology at the Institute of Education, with specific reference to the education of black children.
Encouraged by civil rights activist Ida Mae Holland, whom she met at the London opening of Holland's play From the Mississippi Delta, Dove decided to continue her studies in the United States. Focusing her research on African culture, women and education, she earned a PhD in American studies from the State University of New York at Buffalo (SUNY Buffalo).[5] She went on to become an assistant professor in the department of African American studies there, and also lectured at Temple and Penn State universities in Pennsylvania, before moving to teach at Medgar Evers Community University in New York.
Her 1998 book Afrikan Mothers was described by Cecile Wright of Nottingham Trent University as providing "a unique and powerful account of Afrikan women's attempts to challenge and resist contemporary conditions, particularly in relation to racism, schooling, and education. Nah Dove's book ... enriches us with its blend of empirical 'rich descriptiveness' and subtle theorizing. A vital book for readers and students of Afrikan studies, women's studies, cultural studies, education, Afrikan American studies, and sociology."[6] Among other endorsements, one from Kariamu Welsh Asante notes: "Dr. Dove speaks as an Afrikan mother, activist, and scholar and this combination infuses her work with humility and conviction. Nah Dove is to be commended for this gift to all 'bearers of cultures.' Her wisdom makes her one of 'the women who gather at the grindstones.'"
Afrikan Mothers: Bearers of Culture, Makers of Social Change was selected in 1999 as Best Scholarly Book by the Association of Nubian Kemetic Heritage of the United States. She has written articles, chapters, encyclopaedic entries including for the Encyclopedia of African Cultural Heritage in North America (edited by Mwalimu J. Shujaa and Kenya J. Shujaa) and Encyclopedia of Black Studies (edited by Molefi Asante), and is a contributor to the 2019 anthology New Daughters of Africa (edited by Margaret Busby).[7] Her aunt Mabel Dove-Danquah was included in the earlier companion volume, Daughters of Africa (1992).[8]
In 2019, Dove joined the faculty at the college of liberal arts, Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she is an assistant professor instruction in the department of Africology and African American studies.[9]