Yonathan Taye

Pronouns: he/him/his

Email: ymtaye@wisc.edu

Address:
Advisor: Monica Kim

Yonathan Taye headshot

Biography

My research interests focus on the intersections of US foreign policy, the Cold War, and decolonization in Central and southern Africa (focusing on Congo-Kinshasa and Angola), noting how conceptions of race, ideology, and power influenced postcolonial developments and conflicts in these two countries. Embodying these themes, I am especially interested in the role of white mercenaries in African civil conflicts and insurgency efforts, including their relations to coloniality, Cold War dynamics, and how they served to link Washington and its allies with indigenous conservative elements.

Education

B.A., University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, 2024

Field

  • U.S./North American

Selected Publications

  • Yonathan Taye, “A Revolutionary Counterrevolution: Thomas Sankara, Burkina Faso, and African Radicalism in Context, 1983-87,” Global Africana Review 8, no. 1 (2024): 19-30.

Selected Awards

  • Kemper Knapp University Fellowship, 2024
  • Community of Graduate Research Scholars Fellowship, 2024

Professional Affiliations

  • Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations (SHAFR)
  • African Studies Association (ASA)