On Receiving The Behrman Award at Princeton

 It has been a tremendous feeling of gratitude to my colleagues and peers at Princeton University for being receiving, last Saturday, the Howard T. Behrman Award for Distinguished Achievement in the Humanities, which “recognizes extraordinary faculty distinction in humanities and publication; in teaching and advising; and in humanities-related University service.” The award dinner at the magnificent Prospect House dining room, was glorious--the sort of thing hardly imaginable anywhere else. And to have my mother, my children, two sisters, as well as three of my dearest friends (who came in from California and Florida) present (while my wife was, still is, in Venice installing her amazing work at this year's Biennale), meant everything. 

Keynote Lecture at AAH Annual Conference, University of Cambridge

 So, on April 10, 2026, I made a quick one-day trip to the University of Cambridge to give a Keynote Lecture at the Annual Conference of the Association for Art History. There, I spoke on a subject that anyone who has followed my activities for about a decade now may know: the restitution of many of Africa's significant cultural heritage held in imperial (aka, formerly Universal, but now Global) museums in Europe and the US. I explored how recent gestures of knowledge restitution in a few museums portend the making of what I call the postcolonial, global museum. The audience's applause at the end was, I must say, unusually looooong for an academic event! 

 You are welcome to the presentation of "Scale Boy" this fascinating memoir by the award-winning author Patrice Nganang. He will have a highlight conversation with my amazing colleague Eddie Glaude. Hosted by Africa World Initiative at Princeton. April 2, 2026.