Publications

The African Studies Centre Leiden currently publishes eight different series. Books published in the ASCL Collection Series and Occasional Publications Series can be ordered from the Webshop or they can be purchased during a visit to the ASCL library, as long they are in stock. Book series published by Brill can be ordered directly from the publisher, or they can be purchased during a visit to the ASCL library, as long as they are in stock.

Unfortunately we no longer accept publications for our book series.

Browse our publications and those by our staff members using the simple search form below.

Displaying 1 - 20 of 4605, page 1 of 231
W.E.A. van Beek; M. Rowlands
Type of publication: Journal Article
In: African arts
Keywords: Dogon, Dogon baja ni performance, Mali, songs
Added to database: 23 January 2026
W.E.A. van Beek
Type of publication: Journal Article
In: Liminalities: a journal of performance studies
Keywords: Dogon, Mali, masks, masquerades
Added to database: 23 January 2026
W.E.A. van Beek; O.S. Ongoiba; A.D. Saye
Type of publication: Book
In: African sources for African history

Though the Dogon are well-described, their culture still holds surprises. One of these is the cycle of songs called baja ni, which is at the heart of their funerary rites. These songs are attributed to a historic author, a blind poet/prophet who roamed the area in the 19th...

Keywords: Dogon, funeral customs and rites, Mali, oral traditions, songs, songs and music
Added to database: 23 January 2026
W.E.A. van Beek
Type of publication: Journal Article
In: Human ecology

In many African religions, traditional authority figures such as chiefs or kings also serve as spiritual leaders. A key ritual they perform is rainmaking, since rain symbolizes power and is closely linked to the chiefdom. I explain how these rainmaking rituals vary among...

Keywords: Africa, power, rain symbolism, rainmaking ritual, religion
Added to database: 23 January 2026
J.B. Gewald; S. Luning; H. Wels
Editors: J.B. Gewald; S. Luning; H. Wels
Type of publication: Book Chapter
In: Gaping holes: towards multispecies histories and ethnographies of mining in Southern Africa
Keywords: animal-human relationships, ecology, ethnographies, history, mining, Southern Africa
Added to database: 22 January 2026
Editors: J.B. Gewald; S. Luning; H. Wels
Type of publication: Book
Keywords: animal-human relationships, ecology, ethnographies, history, mining, Southern Africa
Added to database: 22 January 2026
A. Idrissa
Type of publication: Journal Article
In: Equator
Keywords: capitalism, democracy, global dominance, Niger, United States
Added to database: 21 January 2026
A. Idrissa
Type of publication: Journal Article
In: London review of books
Keywords: Africa, America, Asia, book reviews (form), colonial history, colonial territories, colonists, colonization, France, Oceania
Added to database: 21 January 2026
E.M. Cezne; K. Otsuki
Type of publication: Journal Article
In: Economy and society
Keywords: Amazon forest, BR-319 Highway, Brazil, growth infrastructure, infrastructural imaginary, roads
Added to database: 21 January 2026
E.M. Cezne; K. Otsuki
Type of publication: Journal Article
In: Political geography
Keywords: clean hydrogen, Global South, hydrogen landscape (H2-scape), hydrogen social science research, hydrogen transitions
Added to database: 20 January 2026
A. Raia
Editors: S. Newell; K. Barber
Type of publication: Book Chapter
In: African literature in transition: print cultures and African literature, 1860–1960
Keywords: booklets, East Africa, print culture, Swahili Muslim booklets
Added to database: 19 January 2026
G. Aangenendt; A. Harris; D. Wu; A. Maen; U. Oberst
Type of publication: Journal Article
In: Journal of open humanities data

The African Literary Metadata (ALMEDA) project is building a Wikibase instance to create a multilingual, linked data repository of African literary materials that often go uncatalogued in libraries and archives. While Wikidata enables a flexible solution for linking data on...

Keywords: African cultural heritage, African literature, decolonizing metadata, literary metadata, Wikibase, Wikidata
Added to database: 15 January 2026

Apologies (2025)
A. Amha
Type of publication: Book Chapter
In: Reference module in social sciences

Apologies are embodied linguistic expressions uttered with the intent to repair breaches in social-personal relations. Apologies influence social harmony, reflect on broader cultural norms and values, and offer a nuanced window into the dynamics of social relations and...

Keywords: apologizing, apology, apology expressions, linguistic routines, politeness, social interaction, speech-act forms
Added to database: 03 November 2025
E.M. Cezne
Type of publication: Journal Article
In: Human geography

Hydrogen is trending globally but is also contentious. Touted as the ‘fuel of the future’, it can help to decarbonise large swaths of the economy. Yet, hydrogen's speculative rush unfolds amid asymmetrical power geographies, prospects of green extractivism and...

Keywords: decarbonisation, energy transition, hydrogen, Rotterdam, World Hydrogen Summit
Open access: Full text
Added to database: 13 October 2025
J.A. Balyaminu
Type of publication: Journal Article
In: Resources policy

Globally, there is a significant increase in the demand for cobalt, which is marked by a notable sophistication in market dynamics. Cobalt, a critical natural resource, is predominantly sourced from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Zambia. However, in these...

Keywords: cobalt, Democatic Republic of Congo (DRC), legislation, mining industry, Zambia
Added to database: 29 September 2025
A. Raia
Editors: U. Fendler; C. Vierke; S. Srinivas; N. Jeychandran
Type of publication: Book Chapter
In: Transoceanic and transmedial imaginaries in the Indian Ocean

Counter to the idea of “restricted literacies” on the African continent, a thirst for knowledge has stimulated the making of local libraries and archives in various parts of Africa. This paper offers three snapshots of twentieth-century living libraries in Kenya...

Keywords: book industry, book trade, bookshops, Island of Lamu, Kenya, Mau, Ustadh, 1952-, Mombasa, personal archives, personal library, Swahili language
Added to database: 23 September 2025
S. Kim; T.A. van der Hoog
Editors: S. Zondi; H. Adogo
Type of publication: Book Chapter
In: Africa's strategic partnerships with BRICS and other emergent countries
Keywords: Africa, African policy, diplomacy, North Korea, peninsulas, South Korea
Open access: Full text
Added to database: 22 September 2025
D. Drengk; T.D. Hendriks; R.A.R.L. Verbuyst; H. Wels
Type of publication: Book
Keywords: African Studies Centre Leiden (ASCL), alumni, budget cuts, higher education, Netherlands, personal narratives, reflections, Research Master’s African Studies (ResMAAS), students
Open access: Full text
Added to database: 18 September 2025
A. Ezeoha; C.U. Uche
Type of publication: Journal Article
In: Global governance: a review of multilateralism and international organizations

The main research question in this article centers on how changes in the African Development Bank (AfDB) power distribution influence the funding, governance, and operations of the Bank. The study specifically explores how the power-play between external and internal members...

Keywords: African Development Bank (AfDB), African Development Fund, governance and control, non-African members
Open access: Full text
Added to database: 10 September 2025
M. Dekker; A. Kazimierczuk; R.M. Garland; D. Stein-Zweers; P.F. Levelt
Type of publication: Journal Article
In: Global sustainability

Non-technical summary: This article explores air pollution as a globally connected issue using the telecoupling lens, which links distant regions through environmental and human systems. It shows how pollution connects Africa and the Global North, demonstrating that actions...

Keywords: Africa, air pollution, air quality, Global North, telecoupling
Open access: Full text
Added to database: 29 August 2025

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