Andrew Mbuvi, Ph.D.

I grew up in Kenya (East Africa) before coming to the USA for graduate studies. I am married to Dr. Amanda Mbuvi (also an academic), and we have two children (tween/teen), and we live in Cheltenham, PA. I have been teaching in higher education for over two decades and I have published several books, essays, and articles in the field of Biblical Studies, Postcolonial Biblical Interpretations, African Biblical Studies, and Race and violence in the Bible. I love teaching and research, finding my passion in both areas of academic work. As the first-in-the-family to go to college, I have come to appreciate how my own experience of navigating higher education can aid me in helping the growing number of first in their families students attending college. I have also taught in Kenya, Cote d'Ivoire, and South Sudan. Rising racial violence and killings of people of color (especially Black males, in this country) have transformed me into an advocate for anti-racist curricula in schools and colleges, and an ally for minoritized students, especially in settings where factors beyond academic abilities, e.g., unwelcoming environment, mental wellbeing, financial concerns, etc., can become stumbling blocks to successful academic pursuits for students of color. As a professor at a Historically Black College in North Carolina for 13 years, my teaching experience completed reshaped my research interests with an increased focus on issues of race, justice, freedom, and diversity. Especially, the role that race and religion (specifically the Bible) play in the establishment of Western academia, and the ongoing impact of this background on present constructions of religious belief and education in religious and non-religious institutions. On a personal level, I like exercising and sports (both participating and watching), cooking, traveling, reading (both academic and non-academic writing), and hanging out with family and friends.