Philip Janzen

Philip Janzen, an assistant professor at the University of Florida and author of *An Unformed Map*, dives into the intriguing lives of Caribbean administrators in colonial Africa. He explores their motivations and the double marginalization they faced between European powers and African communities. Janzen discusses how their experiences reshaped their identities and fostered new geographies of belonging. He intriguingly uses poetry and language to fill archival gaps, revealing deeper insights into their journeys and contributions to anti-colonial thought.

Philip Janzen, an assistant professor of history at the University of Florida, discusses his book exploring Caribbean administrators in Africa from 1890 to 1930. He highlights their double marginalization, caught between European disdain and African distrust, which shaped their identities. Janzen also examines how these individuals redefined their views through language and relationships with African intellectuals. He emphasizes the importance of unconventional sources, like poetry, in understanding their fragmented experiences and the broader implications for diaspora studies.