I study the history of agricultural development in postcolonial francophone West Africa, particularly among Pulaar speakers (also known as the Fulbe or Fulani) in southeastern Senegal.  I am researching the introduction of pesticides for cotton cultivation and the moral economies of pesticide-use.  I am interested in the ecological and social impacts of agricultural chemicals including the different repercussions for men and women.  I also consider the roles of political and religious authorities where the majority of the population is Muslim.  I seek to understand how local factors influence global patterns.  My work contributes to our knowledge of the socio-economic history of under-studied areas and peoples in West Africa and to the history of nation-building in modern Africa.

I enjoy teaching African history as part of the liberal arts.  My goals are to introduce students to the complexities of Africans' historical experiences and contemporary circumstances. My courses present individuals' perspectives, assess the relative power of historical actors, and demonstrate Africans' contributions to the development of the world.  I encourage students to think critically and historically about common portrayals of the continent and its peoples.  My courses emphasize transnationalism and historical methods and are based on my research interests.

“Charging Responsibility for the Repercussions of Pesticide Usage in Post-War Francophone Africa.” Environment and History. 27. no 1 (Feb 2021): 37-63
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Hardin, Sarah. "A Collective Struggle: Cotton Production by and for a Fulbe Sufi Brotherhood in Postcolonial Southeastern Senegal." African Studies Quarterly. 20, no. 2 (May 2021): 13-36. 

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Introduction and images »

HI 105: World History, 1500-present

HI 110: African Health and Healing

HI 152: Slavery and Rebellion in Western Africa and the Atlantic World

HI 391: History of Southern Africa

HI 399: Special Topics: Poachers and Developers in African Environmentalist History

HI 399: Special Topics: Understanding Jihads in West African History

HI 399: Special Topics: Commodities from Congo: Central and Eastern African History