Kairn A. Klieman

Associate Professor

Teaching
Research Interests
Selected Publications
Links to Works

Phone: (713) 743-3106
Email: kklieman@uh.edu
Office: 527 Agnes Arnold Hall

Dr. Klieman was trained as a specialist in the pre-colonial history of central Africa and the use of comparative historical linguistics for the reconstruction of African history (Ph.D. UCLA, 1997). Her interest in African culture and history began as an undergraduate studying African art, and was reinforced through service as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Democratic Republic of Congo (1984-1986). Her first book, "The Pygmies Were Our Compass": Bantu and Batwa in the History of West Central Africa, Early Times to c. 1900 C.E. (Heinemann, 2003), reconstructed the changing nature of relationships between Batwa ("Pygmy") peoples of the Central African rainforest and their agriculturalist neighbors over a 3000-year period. Lauded as "stunning", "a truly remarkable book" (ASA), "profoundly original," and "nothing short of revolutionary in central African Historiography" (CHOICE), the work was chosen by the African Studies Association as a finalist for the Melville J. Herskovits Award in 2004. It was also named a 2004 CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title.

While she remains passionate about the history of pre-colonial west-central Africa and continues to research and publish on the topic, life in Houston, the hub of the international oil industry, has had a profound impact on Dr. Klieman's research interests. Her work as a cultural/historical consultant to multination oil companies in Houston, as well as her experiences in oil-producing African nations (Gabon, Republic of Congo), provoked a desire to uncover the historical foundations of the “Oil Curse” in Africa, the paradoxical situation whereby underdeveloped oil-producing nations, despite massive infusions of wealth in the form of oil revenues, have continually failed to prosper. Thus, her second book analyzes the historical roots of this problem in the African context, focusing specifically on three Gulf of Guinea states: The Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, and Angola. Entitled Before the “Curse”: Petroleum, Politics, and Transnational Oil Companies in the Gulf of Guinea, Africa, 1960-1980, it provides a detailed history of relations between transnational oil companies, their home governments, and the newly-positioned African elite during the first two decade of African independence. As the first historical and regional analysis of the articulation between transnational oil companies and early African governments, the book provides new insight as to how a number of the foundations for economic underdevelopment were put into place. It will constitute a major contribution to the fields of African history, international oil history, the history of globalization, as well as the growing body of literature on the “Oil Curse” (or ‘resource abundance”) in developing nations.

Dr. Klieman has received numerous awards and fellowships in the course of her career. Most recently (2008/9) she received a $27,000 Grant to Enhance and Advance Research from the University of Houston for work on her second book. In 2007 she received the University Teaching Excellence Award, one of the highest honors bestowed by the University of Houston. For earlier research she received support from the Social Science Research Council, the Fulbright-Hayes Foundation, and the Belgian-American Educational Foundation. Fieldwork was carried out in Francophone regions of west-central Africa (Gabon and the Republic of Congo, 1992-94). She has also traveled, studied, or researched in a number of other African and European countries (Zambia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Kenya, Togo, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Sierra Leone, Belgium, France, England).

Teaching

Dr. Klieman teaches a number of undergraduate courses on the history of African and African diasporic peoples. Among these are: “African History to 1750” (survey); “African History since 1750” (survey), “Africa 1945 to Present,” “Africa and the Oil Industry,” “Central Africans and the Atlantic Diaspora,” “Africa and the Indian Ocean World,” as well as an undergraduate course on “Global Environmental History before 1800.” At the graduate level she teaches courses on “Africa in World History” “Globalization and the History of Extractive Industries in Africa,” and works on a one-to one basis with students seeking a minor in World History. She is also proud to have directed the following award-winning student works:

"Peoples of African Descent in Pakistan: Sheedis and their Role in Sindhi History," by Anna Khalique. Winner, Outstanding Senior Honor's Thesis (2007), Honors College, University of Houston.

"Navigating the Indian Ocean: Exploring the Textures of an African Diaspora" by Philip Sinitiere, Graduate Student in American History, UH. Winner, World History Association/Phi Alpha Theta Student Paper in World History Competition (2005)

“Islam in Africa: Intersections, Negotiations, and Mystical Spaces in Sufism,” by Philip Sinitiere, Winner, Phi Alpha Theta Graduate Essay Contest (University of Houston), 2005.

Research Interests

Oil history/energy history: African, comparative global, origins and manifestations of the “Resource Curse”
African history: autochthonous peoples/”first-comers,” their roles in history/politics; historical linguistics as a tool for reconstructing the past, Bantu expansion; nexus politics/religion in Africa, cults of affliction.
Environmental history: social constructions of nature, religion and the environment, nature/territorial spirits and their role in local power/politics (global comparisons)
African Diasporic Communities: African continuities in religious/environmental practices

Selected Publications

"Oil, Politics, and Development in the Formation of a State: The Congolese Petroleum Wars, 1963-68," International Journal of African Historical Studies, 41:2 (2008), p.169-202.

"Of Ancestors and Earth Spirits: New Approaches for Interpreting Equatorial African Politics, Religion, and Art." Chapter in LaGamma, A. (ed.) Eternal Ancestors: Central African Reliquary Art (Metropolitan Museum of Art, October 2007). Honorable Mention, Association of Art Museum Curators, “Outstanding Exhibition Catalog,” 2008.

The Pygmies Were Our Compass: Bantu and Batwa in the History of West Central Africa, Early Times to c. 1900 (Heinemann, 2003). Finalist for the Herskovits Award; CHOICE Outstanding Title (2004).

"Towards A History of Pre-colonial Gabon: Farmers and Forest Specialists along the Ogooue', c. 500 B.C.-100 A.D." in Michael C. Reed and James F. Barnes (eds.) Culture, Ecology, and Politics in Gabon's Rainforest (Edwin Mellen Press, 2003).

"Hunter-Gatherer Participation in Rainforest Trade Systems: A Comparative History of Forest vs. Ecotone Societies in Gabon and Congo, c. 1000-1900 A.D.," in Challenging Elusiveness: Central African Hunter-Gatherers in a Multidisciplinary Perspective, Karen Biesbrouch, Stefan Elders, Gerda Rossel, eds. (Research School CNWS, Universiteit Leiden, 1999).

Links to Works

A Letter to My Teacher, Bope Pierre
A film about the Congo

Click to view, will open in new window

In June 2008 Dr. Klieman participated in film-making seminar run by the Center for Digital Storytelling out of Berkeley, California. See the results of her efforts, a 4 minute film about her experience in the Congo as a Peace Corps volunteer and the tragedy of the war and violence currently occurring there.

Dr. Klieman participated in a lecture series at the Houston Metropolitan Museum of Art in conjunction with the exhibition "Eternal Ancestors: The Art of the Central African Reliquary," the lectures examine the legacy of one of Africa's greatest artistic movements. Watch Klieman's presentation by click the images below.
(Videos will open in a separate window )