News & Events

President Zuma of South Africa and President Putin of Russia attended China’s victory parade in September 2015. Zuma’s visit reflected a broader shift in South Africa’s foreign policy in favour of China and Russia. The clear pivot towards China and Russia during Zuma’s presidency (2009-present) differs sharply from the more balanced multipolar approach under Nelson Mandela’s presidency (1994-1999), writes Heinrich Matthee in the latest ASC Infosheet.

ASCL senior researcher Benjamin Soares has been named professor by special appointment of The Anthropology of Islam in Africa and its Diaspora at the University of Amsterdam. The chair was established on behalf of the African Studies Centre Leiden. Soares, an anthropologist, is a scholar of Islam and Muslim societies in Africa. His research focuses on religious life from the early 20th century to the present. As professor by special appointment, Soares will join the Globalizing Culture and the Quest for Belonging programme of the UvA's Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research (AISSR). He will stimulate research in the anthropology of Islam and Muslim societies in Africa and elsewhere (photo: Julie Gawron).

This conference report is the result of a half-day conference that was organized in support of the scoping study held on 27 January at the African Studies Centre Leiden (ASCL), and organized by the ASCL, the Agro-Economic Research Institute of the Agricultural University of Wageningen (LEI, Wageningen UR) and the European Centre for Development Policy Management.

The best Master's thesis based on research related to Africa will be awarded with € 500 and will be published in the ASCL's African Studies Collection. Any final-year student who has completed his or her Master's thesis with distinction (80% or higher or a Dutch rating of at least an 8) at a university in Africa or the Netherlands may apply. The thesis must be based on independent empirical research related to Africa and must have been examined in the twelve months prior to the deadline of 10 July 2016.

Ton Dietz was interviewed by Science 071 Radio about the African Studies Centre Leiden becoming part of Leiden University. Dietz, director of the ASCL, speaks about the question of how the integration came to be, and what opportunities the joining of forces will bring along. Listen to the interview (in Dutch).

The African Studies Centre Leiden wishes you a happy, healthy and well-informed New Year! Visit our Country Portal, the data base that offers the latest news, twitter feeds, statistics, publications, country experts and much much more information about all 54 countries in Africa.

The Stephen Ellis Annual Lecture by Howard French on 10 December was a huge succes. His lecture, 'How today's China-Africa encounter came about and what it means for the world', was registered on video. If you missed it, take a look at the video.

The Dogon of Mali form one of the visual highlights of West Africa. With the spectacular setting of their villages against the Bandiagara cliff, their iconic mask performances and their ethnographic fame, they form a core attraction in West African culture tourism. But also Dogon daily life is well worth capturing on camera. This exhibition at the ASCL consists of photos made by senior researcher Wouter van Beek, on the occasion of his retirement at Tilburg University.

Over a hundred Africa scholars of Leiden University and the African Studies Centre Leiden met on Tuesday 8 December for the first ‘Leiden African Studies Assembly’ Meeting. It appeared a very encouraging assembly for the new Africa strategy that Leiden University is developing alongside the integration of the African Studies Centre into the University as of 1 January 2016. Leiden University wants to make Africa a more prominent part of its profile. The University’s leadership has decided to stimulate the integration of the ASCL and UL by starting a Leiden African Studies Integration Fund.

The African Studies Centre Leiden (ASCL) has become part of Leiden University as of 1 January 2016. After many years of working closely together, for example in the jointly offered Research Masters in African Studies, the unofficial ties between the two institutions have now become formal. Leiden University wants to make Africa a more prominent element of its curriculum. The ASCL has become an interfaculty institute.