Biography

Dr. Tracy Mensah earned a PhD in History from Georgetown University in 2023 and is a Ghana and US-trained historian of the African continent. Currently, she works as an Assistant Professor at Western Carolina University (Cullowhee, N.C) where she teaches survey courses on early and modern Africa, thematic upper-level undergraduate courses like the African Diaspora, History of Sexuality in Africa, Special Topics in African History and Politics, and a graduate seminar in Global Urban History.

Her research interests in Indians and postcolonial industrialization as well as food shortages in neoliberal Ghana have been published in the Journal of African Economic History and International Journal of African Historical Studies respectively.

She lives in Asheville, NC and dedicates her time outside of the classroom to community service. She is a proud member of the Carolina Mountain Club, the oldest and largest hiking and trail maintenance volunteer organization in the Southeastern United States. She balances her life as an academic with other fun activities such as cooking Ghanaian cuisine, baking, food photography, strength training, and swimming.