Stephanie Shonekan

Stephanie Shonekan is Dean of the College of Arts and Humanities and professor of ethnomusicology at the University of Maryland. Previously she was a faculty member and administrator at the University of Missouri and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Shonekan earned a doctorate in ethnomusicology and folklore with a minor in African American studies in 2003 from Indiana University. Her dual heritage combining West Africa with the West Indies allows her to straddle the Black world comfortably. She has published articles and book chapters on afrobeat, Fela Kuti, Nigerian and African American hip-hop, soul music and country music. Her publications explore the nexus where identity, history, culture and music meet. Her books include The Life of Camilla Williams: African American Classical Singer and Opera Diva (2011), Soul, Country, and the USA: Race and Identity in American Music Culture (2015), Black Lives Matter & Music (2018), Black Resistance in the Americas (2018), Dear Department Chair: Letters from Black Women Leaders to the Next Generation (2023), and Race and the American Story (2024).