On Wed, 5 Apr 1995 Randall Pouwels, U of Central Arkansas wrote:
> 1. [Stephen] Isabyire and others imply that African Africanists
> should expect to land Africanist jobs in the American market over
> white American Africanists, and that the refusal of some
> universities to hire Africans is driven by racial considerations.
Yes I am aware of that law that stipulates that a qualified American
has to be hired before a foreigner is considered for a job. This
depends on what visa that foreigner has. If that foreigner is a
permanent resident or even a citizen, he is entitled to be hired for
the job as any other American citizen. Most Africans that are
currently teaching in universities have H-visas which allow them to
work in the country for a certain amount of years and subject to
renewal. I do not think any university would risk hiring foreigners
in such high ranking jobs as instructors without checking into their
legal status. Most universities petition the INS to hire them after
they have satisified the immigration authorities that no qualified
American has been found to take up that post.
I also agree that African history is being marginalized and the
problem could be construed not only in the African domain but also in
the broader Historical context where the job market is very
miniscule. For example in the recent PERSPECTIVE suggested that
during the American Historical Association Meeting held in Chicago,
there were almost 730 applicants for only 73 positions i.e. 73 people
per position which lends credence that it is not all that easy for any
person to get a job in the Historical profession these days. As Chris
Lowe said, he had to file 120 applications before landing a job.
although I am about one year from graduation, I have filed almost 40
applications and nothing positive has occurred so far. In fact, I
have opened up a file of regrets where I file the letters of reject.
As African history has the most raw deal in the profession, it is not
surprising that Africanists are having it rough getting a job than
their other regional counterparts.