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Sarah Zimmerman

@sjzimmerman.bsky.social

6.3K followers 4K following 730 posts

Historian, gender, West Africa, French imperialism, militarization, Author of Militarizing Marriage (Ohio UP 2020). Past-présidente of French Colonial Historical Society, BCDSS alum, recovering Oakland As Fan, PNW hiking/backpacking...w/ signature typoes

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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · Jul 1

My physical copy of Pathos and Power just arrived! Happy to see my chapter, "Vestiges of Widowhood on Gorée Island and in Senegambia during the Atlantic Era," alongside many fantastic contributions. Thanks to Joanna and Benjamin for ushering it through!

Pathos and Power

The collected essays in Pathos and Power provide a critical exploration of widowhood in Africa through a series of historical and contemporary case studies. ...

www.ohioswallow.com

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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 1d

This is in my research wheelhouse, but I'm not an early career scholar.

Get this money young scholars!!

DEADLINE EXTENDED: 2025 Eighteenth-Century Africa Publication Fellowships – ASECS

asecs.org

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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 1d

"The concentrated conversations about Kirk were because of the US’s ability to consume the world with its own domestic affairs. Strikingly, many locals who were unfamiliar with Kirk himself were nevertheless fluent in the worldview he championed."

--Pontsho Pilane

The mourning of a man, the mirror of a nation

Charlie Kirk was not a household name in South Africa. Yet, as evidenced by the local outpouring of grief that followed his death, South Africans must confront the truth: his ideas were already at hom...

africasacountry.com

Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 1d

Irony? Is this supposed to appease Egypt's concerns?

After building huge new dam, Ethiopia warns of hydropower's drought risk

Ethiopia wants to reduce heavy reliance on hydropower to diversify to solar and wind in the face of climate-induced droughts

www.climatechangenews.com

Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 1d

Also, yes you are remembering correctly. Ethiopian Airlines had an awful Boeing 737 Max 8 plane crash in 2019, in which 157 people died. This accident, along with others, eventually led to the grounding of all 737 Max 8s.

Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 1d

I'm not aware of the longer history of Boeing, so is this a new departure in terms of pairing with the US govt to engage in "development" in Africa?

U.S. backs $10 Billion Ethiopian airport following record aircraft purchase

The United States has pledged support for the construction of a $10 billion international airport in Ethiopia, marking President Donald Trump’s first major business initiative in the Horn of Africa

africa.businessinsider.com

Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 1d

"Right now, De Beers’ value has declined to $5B. Botswana already owns 15% of De Beers ($750M). To control 51% ($2.55 billion), Botswana needs an additional $1.8 billion. The government is negotiating with Oman’s sovereign wealth fund to help finance this acquisition."

Guns, Germs, & Cobalt Q&A #9: Insights on Botswana, Chile, Peru, China, and Morocco

What Peru’s guano, Chile’s saltpeter, and Botswana’s diamonds teach us about innovation killing monopolies.

yawboadu.substack.com

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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 1d

Another reading of Senegal's public debt:

"The Faye-Sonko government won a popular mandate to strengthen sovereignty. The IMF is using the Faye-Sonko government’s honesty about the previous government’s fraud to undermine it."

Africa Will Be Free When the IMF Stops Colluding to Steal Its Wealth: The Forty-First Newsletter (2025)

In countries like Senegal, the IMF has been complicit with irregular debt practices and fraudulent accounting in order to undermine sovereignty and favour multinational corporations.

thetricontinental.org

Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 1d

Around the world, migrants are being deported at alarming rates – how did this become normalised?

The US, UK and Australia are all expanding efforts to deport non-citizens, reframing the act of seeking asylum from a human right to a criminal act.

theconversation.com

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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 1d

What a title...but, I am curious where the relationship between AES and ECOWAS will go. Also, this image contains contrasting aesthetics for leadership legitimacy.

Beset by Jihadist Violence, ECOWAS Mends Fences With Coup Leaders

Having initially sanctioned the coup leaders of three Sahel states that withdrew from it last year, ECOWAS now hopes to reconcile.

www.worldpoliticsreview.com

Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 1d

Mining consultant disputes GoldBod CEO's denial of buying illegal gold

Mining consultant Wisdom Edem Gomashie has taken issue with Sammy Gyamfi, CEO of the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod), over his claim that the state agency purchases gold exclusively from licensed small-sca...

www.ghanaweb.com

Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 1d

How much is gold worth? Illegal gold mining (both artisanal and by large corps) is growing in Ghana.

How illegal gold mining is devastating Ghana's forests - Ghana Business News

Ghana’s forests were once places of balance. From the northern savannahs to the southern rainforests, the land offered both beauty and function.

www.ghanabusinessnews.com

Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 1d

D. S. Battistoli has authored a wide-ranging substack entry on generational rebellion across the African continent, with a focus on Madagascar.

Generational rebellion.

Context for and reflections on Malagasy protests.

samuelbattistoli.substack.com

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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 1d

Elections coming in Cameroon, Tanzania, & Côte d'Ivoire. Predicted opportunities for leadership change are few. Paul Biya has been president of Cameroon for 43 years. Samia Hassan's party has used near authoritarian power to dismantle any opposition. Alassane Ouatarra is running for a 4th term.

The world's oldest president seeks an eighth term in Cameroon as youth grumble

Cameroon’s Paul Biya is the world’s oldest president at age 92

www.washingtonpost.com

Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 2d

A close up of humpy with the "win" across their fishy face

Reposted by Sarah Zimmerman

Circling Seattle Sports @circlingseasports.bsky.social · 3d

Oh my god… Humpy just earned a win in the Mariners Salmon Run.

#TridentsUp #SeizeTheMoment #Postseason

14 75 400

Reposted by Sarah Zimmerman

Joe Dunman @joedunman.bsky.social · 2d

It’s a shame we’re closing philosophy departments at the exact same time society as a whole is questioning whether the identification of truth and the maintenance of a shared reality are worthy efforts anymore.

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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 2d

For those of us who indulge a little bit of superstition around sportsball, the real story from last night is that Humpy, in an unprecedented 2nd contest in one game, won the salmon run for the first time in two years.

A screen shots of Humpy, a person wearing a costume, winning the Salmon run foot race in the 15th inning during the Mariners' marathon win over the Detroit Tigers on October 10. The image is of a footed fish running past the Seattle Mariners medallion, with an outfield crowd in the background

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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 2d

Yikes.

"The decision by the Chadian government is the latest controversy faced by the organization, following accusations by the Republic of Congo that it had abused members of the local community."

Chad cuts ties with wildlife charity linked to Prince Harry

The government says the charity African Parks displayed an arrogant and disrespectful attitude.

www.bbc.com

Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 2d

The Balai Citoyen movement claims to be in line with Thomas Sankara's traditions of justice and civic action. Ibrahim Traoré tries cultivate the legacies of Sankara for himself.

Le Balai Citoyen - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 2d

Relevant to those civilian defense forces...

"On 6 October, two members of the Balai Citoyen movement, Bassirou Badjo and Rasmane Zinaba, were released after having been arrested on 20 and 24 February 2024, respectively, and forcibly sent to fight at the front against jihadi forces."

Au Burkina Faso, libération de deux figures de la société civile enrôlées dans la lutte antidjihadiste

La junte militaire, dirigée par le capitaine Ibrahim Traoré, est accusée d’utiliser de manière abusive un décret de mobilisation générale afin de lutter contre les groupes armés.

www.lemonde.fr

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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 2d

JNIM is demonstrating strategic superiority against military forces/bases (and "civilian defense forces" in Mali and (here) Burkina--both countries are led by military juntas.

Ibrahim Traore "blamed the poor security situation on under-equipment of his army when he came to power in a coup."

At Least Eight Burkina Soldiers Killed In September Attacks

At least eight Burkina Faso soldiers were killed in attacks in September against a military detachment in the north of the country, security and local sources said on Saturday.

www.barrons.com

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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 4d

I just watched all of this, quality TV. And wow that psychic commercial

Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 9d

The longevity of DeBeers in all of this....

The dark side of the sparkling stones

Botswana may soon own the company that kept diamonds out of African hands.

continent.substack.com

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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 9d

A scholarly article on the survival of democracy in Senegal throughout the 2024 presidential election.

muse.jhu.edu

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Sarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 9d

When you're reading about the youth in the streets in Morocco & learn that the 2030 Men's World Cup will be in Morocco, Spain, and Portugal....and now you can't stop calling it the...

!! ALMORAVID WORLD CUP !!

The military legacies of Abdullah ibn Yasin and Abubakar ibn Omar live on!

A map of northwestern Africa and Iberia. The almoravid empire is indicated in green and stretches from Awdaghust (contemporary Mauritania) to Saragossa in contemporary Spain.