David Henige

David Patrick Henige (born 1938)^[1] is an American historian, bibliographer, academic librarian and Africanist scholar. The majority of Henige's academic career has been spent in affiliation with the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where for over three decades he has held the position of bibliographer in African studies at UW–Madison's Memorial Library. Henige has authored over 170 scholarly papers and several books across a diverse topical range. While African studies and history form a central component of Henige's publications, he is also noted for substantial contributions to the theory and practice of historiography, librarianship, epistemology, the nature of oral history and myth, and critiques of historical methodologies.

As an undergraduate Henige attended the University of Toledo, Ohio in the 1960s, obtaining first a B.A. then a Master's degree in history.^[2] In 1967 he enrolled for postgraduate studies at UW–Madison, completing a PhD in African History in 1973. Fieldwork towards his degree was undertaken in Ghana, West Africa.^[2] Henige's long association with the Memorial Library began during his PhD studies, where part of his time was spent working for the library.

At the end of his PhD studies Henige was offered a lecturing position at the University of Birmingham's Centre of West African Studies (CWAS), a research department established a decade earlier by the noted Africanist scholar John D. Fage. Henige travelled to England to take up the position, where he remained for a year.

Henige returned to Wisconsin in 1974^[3] to take up a position as bibliographer at the Memorial Library, and to undertake a Master's degree in Library and information science, which he completed in 1978.^[2]

He is the founder and editor of the journal History in Africa.

Notes

1. ^ Date information sourced from Library of Congress Authorities data, via corresponding WorldCat Identities linked authority file (LAF) . Retrieved on 2008-06-16.
2. ^ ^{a b c} University of Wisconsin Foundation (2005, p.24)
3. ^ Henige preferred the "autonomy and research required [as a bibliographer]" over lecturing; see comments in University of Wisconsin Foundation (2005, p.24).

References

Block, David (1994). "Quincentennial Publishing: An Ocean of Print" (online reproduction). Latin American Research Review (Santa Fe, NM: University of New Mexico, on behalf of the Latin American Studies Association) 29 (3): 101–128. ISSN 0023-8791. OCLC 200175822. http://www.millersville.edu/~columbus/papers/block-2.html. Retrieved 2008-06-16. ^{[dead link]}

University of Wisconsin Foundation (Winter 2005). "Treasured job leads to library gift" (PDF online publication). Wisconsin Campaign Insights (Madison, WI: UW Foundation) 3 (1): 24. http://www.uwfoundation.wisc.edu/media/documents/pdf/insights_05_winter.pdf. Retrieved 2008-06-16. 

External links

• Works by or about David Henige in libraries (WorldCat catalog)

Persondata
Name	Henige, David P.
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Date of birth	1938
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