Ayodeji Abiona

Ayodeji Abiona is a Ph.D. candidate at the Florida State University Department of History. He specializes in modern US history, particularly twentieth century migration. His research explores Nigerian migration to the United States since the latter part of the twentieth century, and his dissertation focuses specifically on Pentecostalism in Nigerian American existence. He therefore engages wider conversations on American Christianity, global Christianity, black diaspora and civil belonging at and since the end of the twentieth century. Ayodeji minors in Early America, Public History, and World History, fields which have sharpened his oral history skills and his use of transnationalism as an analytical tool. Ayodeji holds a B.A. in History and International Studies and an M.Sc. in International Relations. He has published articles and book reviews in reputable journals, home and abroad including the Lagos Historical Review and Oral History Review. His scholarship has been supported with generous fellowships and awards including the WHA Graduate Student Workshop Award from Yale University’s Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library (2024), Elmer Andersen Library Research Fellowship (2025), Oral History Fund (2025 and 2026), Granville L. Larimore Endowment for Excellence in Arts and Sciences (2025/2026), the Walbolt Dissertation Fellowship (2026), as well as multiple Dean's Excellence Awards, and Departmental travel awards.