Steve Howard

Areas of Expertise

• Research methods/field methods in Africa; participatory research methods, Islam in Africa, Communication in the Muslim World.
• Rural development in Africa, social movements in Africa, Islam and socio-cultural change, children and African development.

Steve Howard is a sociologist by training whose work focuses on social change in Africa and social movements in the Muslim world. He regularly teaches courses such as "Field Research Methods in Africa," "The Horn of Africa," "Monitoring and Evaluation Research," and "Modern Africa." His recent published articles include "Getting Ready to Vote: Youth, Democracy and the Media in Election Cycle Nigeria," "Africa's Languages: an ancient and 'open source' of intelligence," "Children and Media in Muslim Africa: Sudan, Senegal, Nigeria," and "Communicating Islamic Transformation: the Campaigns of Sudan's Republican Brotherhood." Steve has been African Studies Director at Ohio University since 1991 and in 1999 founded the Institute for the African Child. He is also director of the National Resource Center for African Language and Area Studies, one of 10 in the nation. He speaks French and Arabic and uses both in his African research and networking.

Education:

Ph.D., (sociology and African Studies) Michigan State University
M.A., Michigan State University
B.S., Georgetown University

Recent Honors & Awards

2010, Ohio University African Students Union, “African Hero Award,”
2014, Mellon Fellow, University of Cape Town, School of Film and Media Studies/African Studies.

Productions & Publications:

Howard, Steve, “Children and Youth,” Oxford Annotated Bibliographies of African Studies, 2013.
Howard, Steve, editor, African Conflict and Peacebuilding Review, v. 2 #2, Fall 2012. Indiana University Press.
Howard, W. Stephen, “Children and the Five Pillars: How Islam Is Learned,” 2004. Democracy and Education, v. 15, #1.
Howard, Stephen, “Africa Moves,” review of Mobile Africa, H-Africa, H-Net Reviews, September 2003.
Howard, W.S., “The Possibilities of African Leadership: Children and HIV/AIDS, What shall we do?” 2003 in Singhal and Howard, eds.
The Children of Africa Cope with AIDS: Challenges and Possibilities. Ohio University Press.
Howard, W.S., “Ethnography and Exile” 2003, UWC Papers in Education, Cape Town.
Howard, W.S., “Transforming Islamic Society: Mahmoud Mohammed Taha and the Republican Brotherhood,” Fall 2003, Journal for Islamic Studies.
Howard, W.S., “Transformational Leadership in Islam: Mahmoud Mohammed Taha and the Possibilities of Faith,” Kultur, 2002, Islamic University of Indonesia.
Howard, W.S., “Mahmoud Mohammed Taha,” in Lobban, et. al. eds., Historical Dictionary of the Sudan. Scarecrow Press, 2002, pp 287-288.
Howard, W.S., “Republican Brotherhood,” in Lobban, et.al., eds. Historical Dictionary of the Sudan. Scarecrow Press, 2002, pp 336-338.
Howard, W.S., “Making Childhood Possible: Education and Health for Africa’s Children,” 2002, Institute for the African Child Working Papers Series #1, Athens. Howard, W.S., War and Slavery in Sudan by Jok Madut Jok, book review, Middle East Journal, January 2002.
Howard, W.S., “Chalk and Dust: Teachers Lives in Rural Sudan,” in Bowen and Early, eds. Everyday Life in the Muslim Middle East, 2nd edition, Bloomington, Indiana University Press, 2002, pp 189-198.
Howard, W.S., “Sudanese Brotherhoods,” in Stephen Glazier, ed., Encyclopedia of African and African American Religion. Berkshire Press, 2001, pp 330-334.
Howard, W.S., “A Possibility of Inclusion,” Democracy and Education, v. 14, #1, 2001.
Howard, W.S., “Human Rights Everyday: Sudanese Possibilities,” Bulletin of the Center for Advanced Study in International Development. East Lansing, Fall 2000, pp 68-72.
Howard, W.S., “World Traveler,” Democracy and Education, v. 13, #4. 2000.
Howard, W.S., “Introduction,” in Retold Tales from Northern Sudan, by Ali Lotfi, Interlink Press, 1999, pp ix-xv.
Howard, W. S. book review, War and Drought in Sudan by E. Eltigani, MESA Bulletin #33, 1999, pp 89-90.
Howard, W. S. and Harold Herman, co-editors, Democracy and Education “Coping with Rapid Change: focus on South Africa’s Teachers 1998.
Howard, W. S., editor and author, lead article, Democracy and Education. “Knowing Democracy: Teachers, Schools and Global Transformation.” 1997, p. 2.
Howard, W.S., “Participation and Development,” Communication and Development, 1995.

Professional Organizations:

African Studies Association, Sudan Studies Association, Middle East Studies Association.