Profile picture for Chidera Ezeokoli

Contact Information

3112 LCLB | 707 S. Mathews Ave | Urbana, IL, 61801
Graduate Student | Teaching Assistant & Research Assistant

Biography

Chidera is a master’s student from Nigeria. He received his B.A. (Hons) in Foreign Languages & Literary Studies (German) from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. His research interests include migration literature, gender and identity, Afro-German narratives, and comparative literary intersections. He spent a year in Japan through the Hokkaido University Short-Term Exchange Program (HUSTEP, 2024–2025). He is particularly passionate about how literature navigates themes of diaspora, power, masculinity, and the emotional landscapes of displacement.

Research Interests

  • Migration & Diaspora Studies
  • Critical Masculinity & Power Dynamics
  • Afro-German Studies & Postcolonialism
  • Contemporary German Literature
  • Critical Race Theory & Intersectionality
  • Gender & Identity Studies

Education

M.A. in German Literature (in progress) University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 

Hokkaido University Short-Term Exchange Program (HUSTEP, 2024–2025) 

B.A. (Hons) in Foreign Languages & Literary Studies (German) University of Nigeria, Nsukka (2024)

Grants

Elizabeth Rusk Endowment, Aug-Dec 2025

Awards and Honors

Modern Languages Association, University of Nigeria

  • Overall Outstanding Male Student of the Year (2022, 2024)
  • Most Influential Student of the Year (2024)

Additional Campus Affiliations

  • American Association of Teachers of German (AATG)