Dr. Uyilawa Usuanlele studied in Nigeria, Sweden and Canada and majored in African history. He worked as a researcher and administrator with National Council for Arts and Culture in Nigeria. He was a founding member and coordinator of the Institute for Benin Studies, Benin City, and a recipient of the Swedish International Development Fellowship award, and gave lectures at conferences in Africa, Europe, Asia and the Americas. He has contributed articles and chapters to journals and books and presently teaches African history and peace and conflict studies at the State University of New York (SUNY) Oswego, New York. With Bonny Ibhawoh, he co-edited Minority Rights and the National Question in Nigeria (Palgrave Macmillan, 2017). He is the editor of Benin Studies Under the Scalpel and founding editor of Umewaen Journal on Benin and Edoid Studies and Benin Studies Newsletter.