Dr. Izuu Nwankwọ

Profile

Academic positionLecturer, Assistant Professor, Researcher
Research fieldsAfrican Studies,Theatre and Media Studies
KeywordsPerformance, Censorship, Stand-up comedy, Humour, Culture
Honours and awards

2018: George Forster Fellowship

2018: Iso Lomso Fellowship with STIAS

2017: Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center Residency

2014: African Humanities Program (AHP) Postdoctoral Award

2011: African Humanities Program (AHP) Dissertation Completion Award

Current contact address

CountryCanada
CityToronto
InstitutionUniversity of Toronto
InstituteCentre for Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies

Host during sponsorship

Prof. Dr. Matthias KringsInstitut für Ethnologie und Afrikastudien, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Mainz
Start of initial sponsorship01/07/2019

Programme(s)

2018Georg Forster Research Fellowship Programme for Postdocs

Publications (partial selection)

2025Krings, Matthias, Nwankwọ, Izuu: Playing with Difference: Oyibo Lip-Sync Performances of Nigerian Popular Culture on TikTok. In: Journal of African Cultural Studies, 37, 2025, 68-85
2025Krings, Matthias, Nwankwọ, Izuu: Remix and Revision: Encounters between Africa and Europe in Contemporary African Popular Culture. In: Journal of African Cultural Studies, 37, 2025, 1-5
2024Nwankwọ, Izuu: Dismantling Colonial Laughter: Tracing Emergent African Diaspora Stand-Up Comedy in French and German. In: Journal of Black Studies, 55, 2024, 638-660
2024Nwankwọ, Izuu: Introduction: On the Limits and Prospects of African Humour. In: Critical African Studies, 16, 2024, 291-297
2024Nwankwọ, Izuu: Politics, Jokes and Power in Africa: The View From Stand-Up Comedy. In: African Studies, 82, 2024, 264-280
2024Nwankwọ, Izuu: What It Is to Perform Not Tell Jokes: Toward a Manifesto of Stand-Up Research. In: Theatre Topics, 34, 2024, 135-142
2024Nwankwọ, Izuu: ‘Punch up, punch down o! All I know is there is punch’: Jokes about Africa(ns) in cross-cultural contexts. In: European Journal of Cultural Studies, 27, 2024, 1176-1193
2023Hammett, D., Martin, L., & Nwankwọ, I. Humour and Politics in Africa: Beyond Resistance. Bristol University Press, 2023
2023Izuu Nwankwọ, Samuel O. Chukwu-Okoronkwo: The Indigenous Origin of Intermediality in Nigerian Stand-up Comedy. In: Matatu, 53, 2023, 1-20
2023Izuu Nwankwọ: Traditions of naming in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's fiction. In: Postcolonial Text, 18, 2023, 1-17
2022Nwankwọ, Izuu: Ambivalence in the Stand-up Acts of Nigeria’s Mr Paul and Klint da Drunk. In: Journal of African Literature Association, 10.1080/21674736.2022.2067735, 2022,
2022Tunca, Daria, Nwankwọ, Izuu Confronting Racism in Cécile Djunga and Trevor Noah’s Stand-up Comedy. In: Nwankwọ, Izuu, Stand-up Comedy in Africa: Humour in Popular Languages and Media. Ibidem Verlag, 2022. 45-66
2022Izuu Nwankwọ: Introduction – Old Wine in a New Bottle: Stand-up Comedy and Its Dispersal across Africa. In: Izuu Nwankwọ, Stand-up Comedy in Africa: Humour in Popular Languages and Media. Ibidem Verlag, 2022. 11-42
2022Nwankwọ, Izuu: Joke Performance Mechanics in Nigerian Stand-up Comedy. In: South African Theatre Journal, 10.1080/10137548.2022.2051731, 2022,
2022Izuu Nwankwọ: Stand-up Comedy in Africa: Humour in Popular Languages and Media. Ibidem Verlag, 2022
2021Nwankwọ, Izuu: Self-censorship and Shifting Cognitions of Offence in the Stand-up Acts of Basket Mouth and Trevor Noah. In: Journal of African Cultural Studies, 10.1080/13696815.2021.1968806, 2021,
2021Izuu Nwankwọ: Yabbing and Wording: The Artistry of Nigerian Stand-up Comedy. NISC Press/African Humanities Association, 2021
2018Izuu Nwankwo E.: Purple Hibiscus and theme of moderation as a metaphor in the evolution of contemporary Nigerian fiction. In: International Journal of Pedagogy Innovation and New Technologies, 2018, 112-121
2018Izuu Nwankwo: Re-engaging master narratives: Re-encountering Shakespeare’s The Tempest in Esiaba Irobi’s Sycorax. In: Journal of Commonwealth Literatures, 2018, 1-16
2016Izuu Nwankwo E.: Antigone, Tegonni and Antigonick: Performing Resistance in a Glocalised Society. In: Katharina Pewny, Charlotte Gruber, Luc Van den Dries, Simon and Leenknegt, Occupy Antigone. Tradition, Transition and Transformation in Performance in Forum Modernes Theater 47. Narr Francke Attempto 2016. 108-122
2011Izuu Nwankwo E.: An Alternative Cinema for the People. In: Matatu, 2011, 696
2011Izuu Nwankwo E.: Trojan women in contemporary perspectives: Dual readings of two recent adaptations. In: Creative Artist: A Journal of Theatre and Media Studies, 2011, 58-80