Jonathan Hyslop first came to Colgate as the A. Lindsay O’Connor Visiting Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology and Africana and Latin American Studies in 2010–11. In 2012, he accepted a permanent appointment as professor of sociology and ALST, after a distinguished career in South Africa as a professor at Witwatersrand University and the University of Pretoria.
In South Africa, he was instrumental in writing a new social and labor history of the country as it transitioned from the apartheid regime to a multiracial democracy in the 1990s; his work on the labor history of the Johannesburg gold fields and the shipping and maritime industries was central to the exhibits in the National Apartheid Museum.
At Colgate, Jon served as a Benton Scholars adviser and as coordinator for African studies within ALST, as well as interim director of the program in 2021. His faculty colleagues know him as warm, witty, wise, and a fount of knowledge on all things related to Southern Africa. His presence will be greatly missed, but we wish him a relaxing and well-deserved retirement. Congratulations, Jon!
— Mary Moran, Professor of Anthropology and Africana and Latin American Studies
Fascism was one of my favorite courses at Colgate. I found Prof. Hyslop to be supremely passionate and knowledgeable about the subject — one of my best papers was written for his class. Some of the best moments of last semester were remaining after class for a few minutes to chat with Prof. Hyslop. I wish him all the best in retirement.
— Ruben Malovrh Kollman ’25
I had Prof. Hyslop for four courses, including fascism and my FSEM. Professor Hyslop was one of my favorite professors — if not the favorite — at Colgate. I wasn’t a sociology major by any means, but he was able to inspire an interest in his material because of his passion and knowledge of the subject. Few professors are as knowledgeable about what they teach and as genuinely caring about student growth. He was always supportive in allowing me to write about topics of interest that were related to the class, instead of assigning a single essay question. This always helped nurture curiosity in the material and make essays far more enjoyable and relevant. Prof. Hyslop is also a genuinely very good person with a kind heart.
— Zach Reynolds ’23