Hewan Girma

Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies

African American and African Diaspora Studies

Email Address: h_girma@uncg.edu

Education

Ph.D. Sociology, Stony Brook University
M.A. International Political Economy and Development (IPED), Fordham University
B.A. Sociology and Economics, Hofstra University

Courses Taught

• ADS 210: Blacks in American Society
• ADS 340: Africana Research Methods
• ADS 350: Contemporary Africa
• ADS 356: The Making of the African Diaspora
• ADS 410: Seminar in African American Studies

Research

Dr. Girma’s research interests include global migration, trans-national adoption, race and ethnicity, intersectional identities and African (diasporic) populations, cultures, and societies. She is a co-founder and co-director of the Ethiopian, East African, and Indian Ocean Research Network.

Selected Publications

Books

• Counterstreams in Migration: Ethiopians’ Choices to Stay, Leave, or Return (2026, Temple University Press)
• The Global Ethiopian Diaspora: Migrations, Connections, and Belongings (2024, University of Rochester Press)
• Naming Africans: On the Epistemic Value of Names (2023, Palgrave)