Dr. Lindah Mhando, was an Associate Professor of Sociology and Anthropology at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, prior to joining the Penn State AAAS faculty in the fall 2007.  Her main research focuses mainly on late 20th century the intersection of comparative cultural history and  migration history (both circular and long term) in Colonial Sudan. Her work concentrates on gender, fatwa and sharia laws in re-definition of marriage/conjugal relations. She is interested in discovering how local historical process and global process negotiate and shift the re-definition of conjugal relationship  and  how these  process  re-shaped the  gendered  identities  by  emphasizing  the role of  indigenous population in the process.  Methodologically she draws upon archival sources, oral genre as well as public rituals. Among other things, Dr Mhando is completion  her manuscript, titled Cultures and Customs of Algeria.  Forthcoming in summer 2008. The manuscript examines the historiography of Algerian customs, political economy and the social status of Algerians. Her current project traces the impact of Comparative cultural history and Pedagogy of Race in urban America as results of global movement, slavery and colonialism. Among other, she has been writing about comparative (f) eminist interpretations of the African America, African population and African Diaspora and Transnational feminism, HIV/AIDS pandemic, Peace movements and social /economic justice theories.  Her secondary research is on the political economy of Informal sector of women artisanal mines in Mali. This research will shed some light on the degree to which  this commodity chain re-organized by women migrant workers  how they manipulate  the dialectical relation of traditional family life in conjunction with prevalence of auriferous exploitation in rural zones  as  part of the world economy  and perpetual Capitalism.  Dr. Mhando is currently  editing a book on Social cultural History of Tanzania: the Science of Socialism and the legacy of Mwalimu Nyerere forthcoming in Fall 2008. She brings along broad international experience. Dr. Mhando has studied and earned degrees at the University of Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania; Nova Scotia, Canada and the State University of New York at Binghamton.

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