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In contemporary Nigeria, the performance of masculinity requires money. Yet the need to have and spend money sits uneasily with widely shared values regarding intimacy and sociality. Drawing on his recent book about masculinity in Nigeria, in this talk Smith proposes and explores the concept of conspicuous redistribution as means to understand Nigerian men’s behavior as they navigate the complex geometry of money and intimacy in their everyday lives.

Smith conducts research in Nigeria focusing on a range of issues, including population processes, political culture, kinship, gender, and health.

He won the 2008 Margaret Mead Award for his first book, A Culture of Corruption: Everyday Deception and Popular Discontent in Nigeria (Princeton University Press, 2007). Smith’s second single-authored book, AIDS Doesn’t Show Its Face: Inequality, Morality, and Social Change in Nigeria (University of Chicago Press, 2014) won the 2015 Elliott P. Skinner Award from the Association for Africanist Anthropology. His most recent book is To Be a Man Is Not a One-Day Job: Masculinity, Money, and Intimacy in Nigeria (University of Chicago Press, 2017).

Smith has completed several major research projects with grants awarded by NSF and NIH, among others, with a primary focus in the HIV epidemic in Nigeria. He was the recipient of the 2007-9 William C. McGloughlin Award for Teaching Excellence in the Social Sciences and in 2015 he was appointed Royce Family Professor of Teaching Excellence. From 2006-2011 he served as PSTC Associate Director. He is currently Director of the Watson Institute's Africa Initiative.

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