Michael Lambert has been contributing to research at Carolina for 30 years.
Michael Lambert has worked for UNC-Chapel Hill in a variety of roles, most recently as a professor in the Department of African, African American, and Diaspora Studies within the College of Arts and Sciences.
What brought you to Carolina?
A postdoctoral program that provided training, mentorship, and professional development opportunities. The luxury of having two years to focus exclusively on my first book was very hard to pass up. One year into my postdoc, I was offered a tenure track position in what is now the Department of African, African American, and Diaspora Studies.
How has your role here changed over the years?
The overall nature of the position has not changed much over my 30 years on campus. It has always been about teaching, research, and service. What has changed is how we carry out these activities.
I began teaching during the dying days of the analog era, when the most sophisticated classroom technology was an overhead projector. Now, everything is digital. With the recent introduction of AI, pedagogical innovations such as PowerPoint appear quaint and dated. Of course, digitization has also changed how we conduct research and service. Institutional expectations with respect to quantity in both areas has increased considerably due to technological changes.
The scope of my research has expanded greatly over the course of my career. I have published studies on both African and American Indian topics as far ranging as urban migration in Senegal to American Indian Tribal membership rules. The unifying core to my research is an interest in raising the dignity and documenting the struggles of Indigenous peoples under colonialism. My forthcoming book, “Landscaping Africa: the Politics of Space, Migration and Belonging in Senegal,” explores the lasting impact of the colonial practices of separating people and bordering territory in the country.
What’s kept you at Carolina?
North Carolina is my home. When my parents met, my mother was a first-year student at UNC-Chapel Hill, and my father had just graduated from NC State. Almost all my relatives live here. My roots in this region, on both sides of my family, date to before the establishment of the United States and, on my father’s side, to long before the peoples of the Greater Antilles discovered Columbus in 1492. I am an enrolled citizen of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Living within a day’s drive of the reservation has anchored me to the University.
The commute is also nice. Having a five-minute drive for 30 years is invaluable. Chapel Hill is a great town to live in and this has been a wonderful place to raise a family.
What contribution are you most proud of?
Having contributed to the mission of my department. The continued presence and vitality of the Department of African, African American, and Diaspora Studies on this campus truly matters. Having been invited to be a part of this endeavor has been one of the great honors of my professional career.
Also, having served for 10 years as founding director of UNC’s African Studies Center. During my tenure, I feel like we built a strong foundation for the center. It has been very fulfilling to watch my successors build on that work, moving the center forward in their unique ways.
Additionally, my first daughter was born when I was an untenured assistant professor. The College’s dean at that time attempted to deny me my right to unpaid leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act. I won that battle. A couple of years later, UNC-Chapel Hill adopted a policy of allowing new parents to take a semester of paid leave. While I was never able to take advantage of this policy, I am proud that my willingness to stand up for our rights as faculty members helped normalize parental leave and likely played a part in the University’s decision to adopt this policy and become a much more family-friendly institution.
What is a uniquely Carolina experience you’ve had?
As a native North Carolinian, everything and nothing is a uniquely Carolina experience. The one thing that could not have happened anywhere else is my recent nomination by Principal Chief Michell Hicks and confirmation by the Tribal Council to represent the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) on the North Carolina Commission of Indian Affairs.
For generations, my family has been engaged in defending Cherokee sovereignty. Not only am I an EBCI citizen, but I am also a direct descendant of Nimrod Jarrett Smith. When Smith was Principal Chief, he secured the right of my people to remain in North Carolina following the expulsion of the Cherokees from the Southeastern United States. My ancestors also fought alongside my relative Henry Owl to secure the rights of EBCI members to vote. In fact, my photograph for this Q&A was taken in front of the building on campus that bears his name. This opportunity for me to continue my family’s tradition of political engagement in American Indian rights is a direct outgrowth of my experiences on Carolina’s campus.
Rooted recognizes long-standing members of the UNC-Chapel Hill community who have aided in the advancement of research by staying at Carolina. They are crucial to the UNC Research enterprise, experts in their fields, and loyal Tar Heels. Know someone we should feature? Nominate a researcher.