Alaba Ilesanmi

(He/Him/His)

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Alaba Ilesanmi is an Assistant Professor of Ethnomusicology at the University of Minnesota. His research, teaching, and public engagement focus on global Black music, expressive cultures, and cultural life, emphasizing their intellectual, historical, and social contexts. His work examines the intersections of sound, music, history, and culture, paying special attention to the broader factors that shape musical meaning, including decoloniality, globalization, identity, indigenous knowledge systems, and postcolonial experiences. Dr. Ilesanmi has received several national fellowships and awards from organizations such as the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS), the Presser Foundation, and the West African Research Association (WARA).

Experience

  • 2025–present
    Assistant Professor, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

Education

  • 2025 
    Florida State University, PhD in Musicology
  • 2021 
    Florida State University, Masters in Musicology
  • 2019 
    The University of Texas at Tyler, BM in Music Education

Publications

  • 2025
    Songs as Archives: Multi-layered Histories and Meanings in the Music of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, Popular Music History

Professional Memberships

  • Society for Ethnomusicology
  • African Studies Association
  • American Musicological Society
  • American Anthropological Association

Contact Alaba for

  • General
  • Media request
  • Speaking request
  • Consulting / Advising
  • Research collaboration
  • Research supervision