Dr. Omotoyosi Odukomaiya specializes in Black science fiction and women’s and gender studies, with a teaching focus at Hope College on American ethnic literature, African and African American science fiction, and women’s literature. 

Her academic work examines the intersections of race, gender, and speculative fiction, particularly the ways in which marginalized voices in science fiction challenge dominant cultural narratives. She is particularly interested in how speculative fiction, especially from African and African American authors, addresses historical trauma, futuristic possibilities and the lived experiences of Black individuals in various diasporas. Also, she is interested in exploring how women’s literature reveals the nuanced ways in which marginalized voices navigate systems of oppression. 

In addition to teaching, she serves as the faculty advisor for the English Club, mentoring students in their exploration of literature and fostering a community of engaged, critical thinkers. Since beginning her teaching career in fall 2023 at Hope, she has  developed courses that encourage students to interrogate cultural representations and broaden their understanding of diverse literary traditions. Her goal is to create an inclusive classroom environment that invites students to think deeply about identity, power and storytelling across genres and periods.

AREAS OF Expertise

• Black science fiction
• Women’s studies
• Gender studies

EDUCATION

• Ph.D., English literature, Southern Illinois University, 2023
• MBA, business administration and management, 2016
• M.S., marketing communication, University of Birmingham (UK), 2010
• B.A., English language and literature, Redeemer’s University (Adoka, Nigeria), 2005

Selected PUBLIcations

• “Pan-Africanfuturism: A Reconciliation of Black/African Pasts, Presents, and Futures,” Siyabonana: Journal of Africana Studies, 2024
• “Identities, Otherness and Alterity in Nnedi Okorafor’s Lagoon and Tade Thompson’s Rosewater,” presentation at City Tech Science Fiction Symposium on Science Fiction, Gender and Sexuality, New York City College of Technology, 2023
• “African Science Fiction and Feminist Narratives: Deconstructing Gender in Butler’s Wild Seed and Okorafor’s Who Fears Death,” presentation at Conference on Women, Southern Illinois University, 2023
• “Figurations of Futurism in African Science Fiction: Negotiating a Decolonial Future for the Global African Diaspora,” presentation at Society for Comparative Literature and the Arts annual conference, 2022
• "Fictionalized Accounts of African Migrant Mothers in And Breathe Normally and Anchor Baby," Cankaya University Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 2021
• “Examining the Role of History in Black Panther and Octavia Butler’s Kindred,” International Journal of Art Humanities and Social Sciences Studies, 2020
• “Liminal Spaces, Disoriented Identities: An Immigrant’s Quest to Define Self in Teju Cole’s Open City,” invited lecture at University of Northern Alabama English Department Regional Graduate Conference, 2020