The CIHA Blog’s newest partner, Gaston Berger University, is planning an exciting series of events concerning our themes of religion and humanitarianism for The Blog. Below, we introduce our two newest Luce Graduate Fellows from Gaston Berger, who work under the supervision of Professor Mame Penda Ba, the Directrice of the Laboratory for the Analysis of Societies and Powers/Africa-Diasporas (LASPAD), and outline issues to watch out for in future posts!
Khadidiatou Dia is a PhD student in religion studies in Gaston Berger University (Senegal), and a research assistant at LASPAD (Laboratory for the Analysis of Societies and Powers/Africa-Diasporas). Her research is about family, institutions and gender in the Senegalese context, in relation with religious practices and discourses. Her thesis is titled « Anthropology of the Senegalese family: Youth, Sexuality and Religion in Contemporary Senegal ».
Ndeye Ami Diop is a Ph.D student in political science and a research assistant at LASPAD (Laboratory for the Analysis of Societies and Powers/Africa-Diasporas). Her area of interest relates to the African intellectual spaces since the 1960s. For her master’s degree, she worked on postcolonial studies and on Achille Mbembe’s analysis of the African postcolonial State.
In Senegal and West Africa, we are working on the following issues that influence the relationship between humanitarianism and religion:
- The Casamance conflict (in southern Senegal): The longest lasting conflict in Africa (beginning in 1982), this conflict does not receive a lot of attention outside Senegal and West Africa. After taking a step back to look at the genesis of the conflict, we will assess its implications for humanitarian actors (religious and non-religious), both in rescuing victims and in peace-building negotiations;
- The Senegal-Mauritania conflict and the issue of refugees: one hundred twenty thousand (120,000) black Mauritanians, the majority Fula, were expelled from their home country in 1989 by the regime of President Ould Taya. They found refuge in the north of Senegal in camps managed by the United Nation High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), and also in Mali. They wandered for twenty years before they were officially able to get back to their home country. What was the role of humanitarian organizations in those refugees camps and the aftermath of resettlement?
- The conflict in northern Mali : Since 2012, northern Mali has come under the yoke of the Touareg secessionists and radical Islamists. Thousands of people were compelled to flee from northern towns, heading to the South or simply settling in Mauritania. What is the extent, rationale and impact of humanitarian intervention in this area?
- The cartography of NGOs in Senegal : There is a striking number of NGOs in Senegal (about 550, according to estimates). We seek first to categorise them, then to draw the cartography of these humanitarian NGOs, and finally to assess their actions and impact.