The Quagga was literally shot out of existence as a species in the second half of the 19th century, with the last attested reports of Quagga in the wild dated to 1878 in South Africa. In a new ASCL Working Paper Jan-Bart Gewald explores the possible connection between the rise of diamond mining in South Africa and the passing of the quagga.

The Jury of the Africa Thesis Award is pleased to announce that the winner of the 2023 Award is Rachel Dubale, graduate from the Research Master African Studies at Leiden University, with her thesis “They think we can eat the condominium”. Chronicles of Economic, Social and Political Practices in Addis Ababa’s Condominiums.

The ASCL celebrated its 75th anniversary at Museum Volkenkunde in Leiden in September 2022. It was a festive day with colleagues, students, alumni, and societal partners. This Occasional Publication presents the keynote speeches of the day, giving insight into the Centre’s rich past and present.

The effects of air pollution are broadly studied in the ‘global north’. Much less is known about the status and impact of air pollution in developing countries, particularly on the African continent. The objective of this new working paper is to review the existing academic and grey literature on the use of satellite-based air quality data.

The ASCL will move to a new building in Leiden in May-June 2024. The name for the new building, formerly referred to as 'Cluster Zuid', was announced on 1 February: it will be called the 'Herta Mohr Building', named after the young Egyptologist that studied in Leiden in the late 1930s.

Mayke Kaag has been appointed Professor of the Anthropology of Politics and Governance in Africa at the Institute of Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology on behalf of the ASCL. Kaag will further develop research on the politics of education in Africa, and on trust, distrust and trust making in African politics and governance.