Palmer provides an international perspective
His story began in West Africa. He lived in Sierra Leone until the age of 19, when he went to Edinburgh, Scotland to study. He first earned a degree in Honors English Literature, and spent eight years studying with a focus on African literature. He returned from Scotland to teach at the University of Sierra Leone, where he also took the responsibilities of being the chair of his department and Dean of the School of Arts.
Palmer explained his tenure as a teacher in Sierra Leone as tumultuous. He had many administrative responsibilities coupled with a large teaching load. As if that weren’t enough, he was also being pressured by the political system of the time. Sierra Leone had adopted a one-party system in 1978, which could not resist extending its influence into the educational sector.
“Some teachers tried to push against the governmental control of the university,” he said. “I resisted the imposition of faculty and fell out of favor with some of my peers.”
The political unrest was a large factor in Dr. Palmer’s decision to leave his home once again in 1992 to begin teaching at Randolph-Macon Woman’s College in Virginia. During this period, a civil war erupted in Sierra Leone, which would consume his home country for the next decade, making a return home impossible.
“I did not come to the United States with an intention of never going back,” Palmer said. “However I was not able to return until 2001, and by that point I had become well-settled in America.”
He spent one year in Virginia before coming to GCSU, where he has stayed since 1993. He found a comfortable home in Milledgeville, saying that the school is a pleasant place to work. He prefers GCSU over other universities due to its public liberal arts mission, which he believes takes teachers’ focus away from research and instead aims it towards the students.
This semester, Dr. Palmer teaches six different classes, ranging from an Introduction to African Studies, to a course devoted to Shakespeare and finally, to a study of the Heroic Quest. In each of his classes, he puts an international spin, using the perspective he has gained by living in three distinctly different communities.
“I always emphasize an international mindset.” he said, “I try to help the students understand the material by teaching the international ramifications and comparisons.”
Palmer spends a large amount of time devoted to his teaching, and yet he has also found the time to write four books regarding African Literature and one on English Literature. He also coordinates the Black Studies program at GCSU, organizes the school’s participation in the Southeastern Model of the African Union, represents the university on the Africa Council, sings and acts in several local groups and has managed in his leftover time to become a U.S. citizen.
Dr. Palmer certainly loves his new home, but misses Sierra Leone. Since moving here, he has lost his brother in the Civil War and his mother just last year. He returned home for her funeral, and reflected on the degree to which he missed his family and their regular gatherings. He also has a large house on the western seaboard of Africa, overlooking the Atlantic.
Beyond attempting to return home to see his family as much as possible, Dr. Palmer has not considered any significant changes in the future.
“For the moment,” he said, “I just plan on concentrating on teaching and my research.”
Posted by Colonnade Archives
on Feb 13 2009. Filed under Features.
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