Dr. Tukufu Zuberi
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Dr. Tukufu Zuberi is dedicated to bringing a fresh view of culture and society to the public through various platforms. Currently, his work focuses on human rights.

Dr. Zuberi is popularly known as a host on the hit Public Broadcasting System (PBS) series "History Detectives." "History Detectives" is devoted to exploring the complexities of historical mysteries, searching out the facts, myths and conundrums that connect local folklore, family legends and interesting objects. Currently filming its ninth season, "History Detectives" regularly shows the way individual objects can serve as lenses into the past. As a history detective, Dr. Zuberi is an observer of the social and cultural forces that shape historical mysteries in American society.

Dr. Zuberi’s research focuses on race and African and African Diaspora populations. He developed and expanded the Center for Africana Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. He has also been a visiting professor at Mekerere University in Kampala, Uganda and the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. Professor Zuberi holds a doctorate from the University of Chicago, is the author or editor of several books, articles, essays and reviews, and has received numerous awards for his academic work.

Born out of his long history with PBS and the marriage of scholarship and visual media, Dr. Zuberi created TZ Production Company to develop New Media projects that focus on themes of Africa, African Diaspora and diversity. Dr. Zuberi is dedicated to bringing a critical, creative vision not typically seen or heard on the big and small screen.
Dr. Zuberi is currently producing "Africa and the World," a unique film and New Media project designed to give American and international audiences fresh insight into the continent’s past, present and future by examining crucial historical turning points in African history over the past 75 years.

Dr. Tukufu Zuberi is the Lasry Family Professor of Race Relations at the University of Pennsylvania and currently serves as Professor and Chair of Sociology at Penn.

For more information on his current and past projects, please visit tukuzuberi.com.

For information on Africa and the World, visit africaandtheworld.com.

Blog Entries by Dr. Tukufu Zuberi

Honoring W.E.B. Du Bois 2012

(2) Comments | Posted April 24, 2012 | 9:45 AM

The Board of Trustees at the University of Pennsylvania appointed Dr. William Edward Burghardt Du Bois Honorary Emeritus Professor of Sociology and Africana Studies on February 17th 2012. The day included three intellectual panels, an art installation, musical tribute, and a poetic tribute. This short video captures the day's activities.

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Has Foreign Aid Hurt Haiti: An Interview with Mario Joseph

(6) Comments | Posted April 6, 2012 | 12:03 PM

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Mario Joseph is Haiti's most influential and respected human rights attorney. Since 1996, he has led the Bureau des Avocats Internationaux (BAI) in Port-au-Prince, which uses prominent human rights cases and a victim-centered approach in the interest of the poor majority. BAI represents political...

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Now Dig Kellie Jones Talking About Art and Black Los Angeles: Part 2

(0) Comments | Posted January 12, 2012 | 12:47 PM

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I recently visited an art exhibit chronicling the legacy of art in Black Los Angeles. The show is at the UCLA Hammer Museum and is called "Now Dig This! Art & Black Los Angeles 1960-1980." I sat down to speak with the curator of...

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Now Dig Kellie Jones Talking About Art and Black Los Angeles

(0) Comments | Posted January 9, 2012 | 2:43 PM

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I recently visited an art exhibit chronicling the legacy of art in Black Los Angeles. The show is at the UCLA Hammer Museum and is called "Now Dig This! Art & Black Los Angeles 1960-1980." I sat down to speak with the...

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An International Side to War in Africa

(4) Comments | Posted September 20, 2011 | 8:09 PM

I recently tried to explain to a friend why Africa had so much war from a combination of domestic and international pressures. The domestic African causes of war are obvious; however, it was difficult to explain the international roots, and these words are an attempt to show how these hidden...

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The Color of Colombiana

(3) Comments | Posted August 30, 2011 | 6:48 PM

Classes are about to begin here at the University of Pennsylvania, so I took my lunch break to watch CoIombiana at a nearby theater. I justified this act by claiming I was going to look at the film using my sociological imagination. In truth, I went to see this movie...

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Beyond Famine and War: The Africa That I Saw

(0) Comments | Posted August 15, 2011 | 1:48 PM

I was in Africa last month capturing footage for an upcoming documentary entitled "Africa and the World."

My interests in Africa are connected to my efforts to understand my roots and to demystify my past. Intellectually, I am shocked by the general ignorance of all things African in American society....

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