DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY

Interests

Geographic Field(s):  African History

Thematic Field(s):  African Diaspora and African American History

Principal Research Interest(s):  Human migrations, ethnogenesis, ceramic analysis, African Archaeology, Remote Sensing, and GIS.

Biography

Macham Mangut is a historical archaeologist. His current research is focused on migrations of human populations from the Lake Chad Basin and the transformation of ethnic identities on the Jos Plateau. The study addresses the long-term settlement history, sociopolitical organization, and economy of the Ron on the Jos Plateau from 1000-1800 AD. He is a lecturer in the Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies at the University of Jos, Nigeria. Mangut has been part of internationally collaborated archaeology research projects. The latest is the ‘Oyo Empire Project,' which focuses on the archaeology, history, and heritage of the Oyo Empire. He is a deputy director and manages the project’s GIS database. Other projects that he has participated in include ‘Ancient Ife Projects’ directed by Professor Gerard Chouin of William and Mary College and Dr. Babatunde Babalola of the British Museum; the ‘Niger-Benue Confluence Project’ directed by Professor Aribidesi Usman of Arizona State University, and ‘Igbo-Ukwu Project’ directed by Dr. Kingsley Dara-Ojimba of University of Nigeria Nsukka and University of Cambridge.

Publications 

Precolonial Trade Relations on the Jos Plateau and Adjoining Lowlands. In A. S. Ajala & S. O. Ogundele (Eds.), Nigerian Cultural History and Challenges of Postcolonial Development, 2023. The Application of Geospatial Information Technology in Heritage Tourism in Plateau State, Nigeria”. Cultural Sustainable Tourism: Advances in Science, Technology & Innovation, 2022. Nok Culture and the Jos Plateau. Zaria Archaeology Papers, 14, 2021. Archaeological Investigations on the Jos Plateau, Nigeria: A Case Study of Lankan (West African Journal of Archaeology, 50, 2020). Bara: The Final Resting Place of Oyo Kings (West Africa Journal of Archaeology, 48, 2018).

Teaching Interests

Historical archaeology, ancient African History, archaeological survey, ceramic analysis, GIS and remote sensing.

Awards and Honors 

Fellow of the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) under the African Humanities Program (AHP). Fellow of the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU). Fellow of the French Research Institute in Africa (IFRA-Nigeria). Member of the African Studies Association’s (ASA) Emerging Scholars Network (ESN).