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FACULTY BIOGRAPHIES -- Abdul Karim Bangura

Abdul Karim Bangura
Ph.D., Georgetown University
Ph.D., Howard University
Ph.D., University of Maryland Baltimore Graduate School
Ph.D., Columbus University
M.S., Georgetown University
M.A, American University
B.A., American University
E-mail: bangura@american.edu
Telephone: 202.885.1546

A Muslim who attended a Roman Catholic school and served as an Altar Boy in Sierra Leone and studied Judaism under the tutelage of revered Rabbis in Italy, Abdul Karim Bangura is well schooled in the Abrahamic connections. Well sought after for television and radio shows, speeches, lectures, essay and book manuscript reviews, workshops on research methodology and teaching/learning strategies, inter-religious dialogues, training in cross-cultural communication and language usage strategies, and conflict resolution, Bangura holds a B.A. in International Studies, an M.A. in International Affairs, a Graduate Diploma in the Social Sciences (Stockholms Universitet), an M.S. in Linguistics, a Ph.D. in Political Science, a Ph.D. in Development Economics, a Ph.D. in Linguistics, and a Ph.D. in Computer Science. He is currently a researcher-in-residence at the Center for Global Peace, a professor of International Relations and Islamic Peace Studies, the coordinator of the B.A. in International Studies—International Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) focus, the coordinator of the Islamic Lecture Series, the coordinator of the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR), and the faculty advisor of The Africa Project at the Center for Global Peace, the American University Undergraduate Research Association (AUURA), the International Peace and Conflict Resolution Association (IPCRA), the Student Organization for African Studies (SOFAS) and the Muslim Student Association (MSA) at American University, and the director of The African Institution in Washington, DC. From 1993 to 2000, Bangura taught Political Science and International Studies, served as Special Assistant to the President and Provost, founded and directed The Center for Success at Bowie State University of the University of Maryland System. He also has taught at Georgetown University, Howard University and Sojourner-Douglass College.

Bangura is the author and/or editor of 53 books and almost 400 scholarly articles. His recent books include Islamic Civilization, Amity, Equanimity and Tranquility (in press), Education in Washington, DC (in press), Islam and Political-Economic Systems (in press), United States Congress vs. Apartheid (in press), Fettered -tions (in press), Ebonics is Good (in press), Washington, DC’s Challenges (2006), Introduction to Islam: A Sociological Perspective (2005), Islamic Peace Paradigms (2005), Peace Paradigms (2005), Surah Al-Fatihah: A Linguistic Exploration of Its Meanings (2004), Sweden vs. Apartheid: Putting Morality Ahead of Profit (2004), Islamic Sources of Peace (2004), The World of Islam: Country-by-Country Profiles (2004), The Holy Qur’an and Contemporary Issues (2003), Washington, DC State of Affairs (2003), Law and Politics at the Grassroots: A Case Study of Prince George’s County (2003), Sojourner-Douglass College’s Philosophy in Action: An African-centered Creed (2002), Unpeaceful Metaphors (2002), Mario Fenyo and the Third World: A Reader (2002), The American University Alma Mater and Fight Song (2002), DC Vote: Fighting Against Taxation Without Representation (2001), Computer Programming to Insure Project Accountability in Africa (2001), United States-African Relations: The Reagan-Bush Era (2001), United States Congress and Bilingual Education (2001), Historical Political Economy of Washington, DC (2000), and Chaos Theory and African Fractals (2000). His recent articles and book chapters include “African Peace Paradigms” (in HSRC, SSNSA & AISA, eds., 2006), “Overstating the Connection between Ethnicity and Military Coups d’État in Africa: A Meta Analysis” (in Santosh Saha, ed. 2006a), “Multifaceted Ethnic Conflicts and Conflict Resolution in Nigeria” (in Santosh C. Saha, ed., 2006b), “Racism is Alive and Well in the Academe” (Black Commentator Journal issue, 179, 2006; also published in five media sources), “Tirbyi in the Muslim World, with a Focus on Saudi Arabia” (Resources in Higher Education ERIC 2006), “The Krio Language: Diglossic and Political Realities” (in Mac Dixon-Fyle and Gibril Cole, eds., 2006), “Ubuntugogy: An African Educational Paradigm that Transcends Pedagogy, Andragogy, Ergonagy and Heutagogy” (Journal of Third World Studies vol xxii, no. 2, fall 2005), “Teachers’ Strategies in the Identification, Change and Retention of Deviant Students” (Interdisciplinary Social Work Journal vol. 1, no. 1, summer 2005), “Islamic Precepts on Gender Relations: The Limitation of Eurocentric Gender Theories” (Al-Mahdi Journal vol. 5, no. 1, February 2005), “White Mexican Racism Rears Its Ugly Head Again” (Black Commentator Journal issue 145, 2005; also published in about 20 other media sources), “Arabs and Jews Must Find a Way to Live in Peace if They are to help Eliminate the Negative Image of the Middle East: Results of a Survey Conducted at Universities in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, DC” (Middle East Post Journal vol. 7, 2004), “Islam and Just War Theory” (Al-Mahdi Journal vol. 4, no. 3, December 2004), “The problem with the Special Court for Sierra Leone” (Black Commentator Journal issue 96, 2004; also republished in 14 other sources), “Discussing America’s Wars in the Classroom: Pedagogical and Andragogical Approaches” (Resources in Higher Education, ERIC 2004), “African Immigration and Naturalization in the United States from 1960 to 2002: A Quantitative Determination of the Tenability of Either the Morris or the Takougang Hypothesis” (Irinkerindo: A Journal of African Migration 2004), “EEOC ‘Diversity in Law Firms’ Report: A Heap of Stones” (Black Commentator Journal issue 75, January 29, 2004), “Islam and the Internet: A Systematic Assessment” (Renaissance Islamic Journal 2004), “A Survey of Islam on the Internet” (Renaissance Islamic Journal 2004), “Sierra Leone: Momoh (1937-2003) Regime, 1986-92” (Encyclopedia of African History 2004), “Egypt: Sadat and the Return to Egyptian Nationalism, 1970-1981” (Encyclopedia of African History 2004), “Fulbe/Fulani/Peul: Futa Jalon” (Encyclopedia of African History 2004), “Freetown” (Encyclopedia of African History 2004), “Ways of Japanese Thinking: International Relations and Linguistic Presuppositions in a Japanese Petty Officer’s Letter to His Parents” (Journal of Language, Society and Culture 2004), “Toward a Pan-Third Worldism” (Journal of Third World Studies 2003), “Myths and Unethical Metaphors in Academia” (Ethics and Critical Thinking Journal 2003), “Nigeria: Historical Treatises on Contours of Power”(Journal of Third World Studies 2001), “Business Communication in Sierra Leone: A Diglossic Model” (The Journal of African Communication 2001), “Measurable Effects of Societal Multilingualism in Africa” (International Journal of the Sociology of Language 2000), “Divisive Barbarity or National Civilization: Linguistic Presuppositions of the Sierra Leone National Anthem as a Tool to Teach Peaceful Behavior” (International Journal of Sierra Leone Studies and Reviews 2000), and “Articles on Africa in the Journal of Third World Studies: A Content Analysis and an Annotated Bibliography” (Journal of Third World Studies 2000). Bangura is Editor-In-Chief of both the Journal of Research Methodology and African Studies (JRMAS) and the African Journal of Languages and Linguistics (AJLL). Bangura is a former President and then Ambassador to the United Nations of the Association of Third World Studies (ATWS) and a member of many other scholarly organizations and editorial boards. He has received numerous teaching and other scholarly and community service awards. He also is fluent in about a dozen African and six European languages, and currently studying Arabic and Hebrew to strengthen his proficiency in them.

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