Getahun Benti – OSA Board Member

Getahun Benti is a professor of African history at Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC). He earned his BA and MA degrees in history from Addis Ababa University and his Ph.D. in African History from Michigan State University (MSU) in 2000. He taught at Asmara University and Addis Ababa University. Before moving to SIUC, Professor Benti worked as a visiting assistant professor at the Urban Studies Program at MSU. Currently at SIUC, he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in African history and various world history courses including a course in comparative slavery. Professor Benti’s research interests include urbanization-migration studies, and the relationship between migration, language, and nationalism in Ethiopia. In addition to a number of articles in refereed journals, Professor Benti has published two books: Addis Ababa: Migration and the Making of a Multiethnic Metropolis (2007) and Urban Growth in Ethiopia, 1887-1974: From the Foundation of Finfinnee to the Demise of the First Imperial Era. Professor Benti has been a member of the Oromo Studies Association which he has served in different capacities. He is also an active member of the African Studies Association where he consistently presents papers on Oromo issues.