About two weeks ago, the social media was agog after a Nigerian, Professor Saheed Aderinto, won the highest historical prize in the world. Aderinto, a professor of History at the Institute of African and Diasporan Studies at Florida International University, USA, won the Dan David Prize, the largest historical prize in the world in recognition of his outstanding scholarship that illuminates the past and seeks to anchor public discourse in a deeper understanding of history.
The Dan David Prize is a major international award that recognizes and supports outstanding contributions to the study of history and other disciplines that shed light on the human past. It awards nine prizes of $300,000 each year to outstanding early and mid-career scholars and practitioners in the historical disciplines. The prize has an annual purse of $3 million, making it the largest history award in the world.
Born in Ibadan Oyo state, Aderinto completed his elementary school at Adeen International School in 1990 and secondary school at Ibadan City Academy in 1996. He earned a BA in History from the University of Ibadan in 2004 before moving to the United States in 2005 to study at the University of Texas, where he received his MA and PhD in 2007 and 2010.
Aderinto spent 13 months in Nigeria, from March 2020 and July 2022, conducting research on his book and documentary projects on Fuji, an African popular culture. Aderinto has published 8 books, 37 journal articles and book chapters, 40 encyclopedia articles, and 20 book reviews.
