Dr. Cynthia Hewitt, Avalon Professor of Sociology and Director of the International Comparative Labor Studies (ICLS) Program at Morehouse College, used her 2024–2025 sabbatical to advance two major initiatives: completing a landmark book project on African matrilineal traditions and launching a new ICLS research collective on inclusive economies.
Her forthcoming book, The Nana Ohemaas of Africa and Good Governance, will examine the Queen-Mother institution within Africa and its diasporas. The 135-page manuscript, currently in revision, will be submitted to publishers in the near future. In addition to the text, Dr. Hewitt is developing teaching resources, including videos and archival interviews, which will be housed in the Woodruff Library and on her website.
Dr. Hewitt also spearheaded African Diaspora Debates: ''Planned or Free Market Economy for African People?'', hosted by ICLS from September 18–October 1, 2024. The debate series engaged 82 university students and 15 scholars in exploring questions of economic justice, culminating in a final round at the ADES Summit before an audience of 350 California Community College educators. The event received wide acclaim and a return invitation for 2026.
Her sabbatical also deepened collaborations in political economy research. She established new partnerships with The New School in New York, secured a graduate research commitment through an MOU, and accepted an invitation to join the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) Advisory Committee to study wealth equity and the impacts of pension fund investments.
Looking forward, Dr. Hewitt is coordinating a 10-member ICLS delegation—including faculty and students from Morehouse, Tuskegee, and Ghana—to the African Union Climate Summit and Youth Forum, August 30–September 9, 2025.
Through her sabbatical year, Dr. Hewitt has strengthened the foundations of her scholarship, expanded international collaborations, and advanced ICLS’s role as a hub for innovative research on equity, governance, and economic justice.
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