Augustine Kposowa


Prince Augustine Joseph Kposowa is a Sierre Leonean-American sociologist and professor of sociology at the University of California, Riverside, where he is also the co-chair of the sociology department.

Early life and family

Kposowa is from Bumpe, Sierra Leone and is a member of a Mende royal family. His father served as the Paramount Chief of Bumpe. He is the paternal uncle of Sarah Culberson.

Education

Kposowa received his B.A. from Saint Paul's College in Liberia in 1977, his M.A. from the University of Cincinnati in 1986, and his Ph.D. from Ohio State University in 1990.

Career

Kposowa became an assistant professor at Wayne State University in 1992, and remained there until 1995, when he became an associate professor at the University of California, Riverside.

Research

Kposowa is known for his research on suicide. For example, his research has shown that divorced men are significantly more likely to commit suicide than their female counterparts, and that Wednesday is the most common day for people to commit suicide. Another study he published found that people who lived in conservative-leaning states and in states with higher gun ownership rates were more likely to commit suicide. The same study, published in 2013, found that people who lived in a state where a higher percent of the population attended church were less likely to commit suicide.