Upcoming Opportunities: April and May 2019

Here are some exciting upcoming opportunities with deadlines coming up this month and next for students and scholars. 

“Africa Multiple” Cluster of Excellence

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: 2019-2020 FELLOWSHIPS

The “Africa Multiple” Cluster of Excellence at the University of Bayreuth (Germany) invites scholars working in the field of African studies to apply for fellowships in the Bayreuth Aca- demy of Advanced African Studies (BA).

In the academic year 2019-2020, the BA offers up to twenty short- and long-term fellowships. These are designed to enable scholars of African studies to pursue projects of significance to the cluster’s theoretical and thematic agenda while immersed in a vibrant community of re- searchers coming from more than fifteen academic disciplines. Fellows will be in residence for a period ranging from one to six months, during which they will carry out their research in an efficiently managed environment with excellent working conditions.

Scholars with a PhD and proven track record in the study of Africa are eligible to apply. They may come from Germany or abroad, and from any discipline in the humanities and the sci- ences. Africa-based scholars are encouraged to apply. The duration of the fellowship may range from one to six months between October 2019 and July 2020; the precise length and dates will be determined on the suggestion of the successful applicants. During the fellow- ship period, residence at the University of Bayreuth is mandatory.

Fellows will be given office space and access to the excellent Africana library resources at the University of Bayreuth. In terms of remuneration, fellowships include travel subsidies and monthly stipends. For long-term fellows, the fellowship may come in form of a grant to be used for a “teaching buyout” at the fellow’s home institution.

HOW TO APPLY

If you are interested in applying, please send an email to the contact address indicated below and request the information kit about the cluster’s theoretical and thematic agenda. All proposals must demonstrate the candidate’s commitment to the cluster’s theme and detail the proposed contribution to one of the cluster’s Research Sections.

Applications need to include:

  • a cover letter explaining your motivation to apply for a BA fellowship and indicating the envisaged time period of the fellowship;
  • a brief statement (ca. 300-500 words) sketching the contribution you offer to make to cluster’s agenda and research sections (in theoretical, methodological, or thematic terms; here you should mention the name(s) of the Bayreuth-based scholar(s) with whom you wish to collaborate);
  • an outline (ca. 1,000 words) of the research project you are proposing as a fellow;
  • your CV;
  • for a proposed fellowship duration exceeding two months, two reference letters (to be sent separately by the referees); one of the letters may come from a Bayreuth-based scholar with whom you intend to collaborate within the fellowship program.

    Please send all documents by e-mail as a single pdf file to the cluster’s Vice Dean of Re- search, Prof. Dr. Erdmute Alber at the following address: EXC2052@uni-bayreuth.de.
    The application deadline is April 30, 2019. Reference letters should go to the same email address; they are due three days later and will not be accepted beyond May 3, 2019.

    For further information and questions, please contact the coordinator of the BA, Robert Debusmann: bayreuth.academy@uni-bayreuth.de.

 

Mentorship Program for Women Graduate Students in Nigeria

With a generous funding from the British Academy, the Lagos Studies Association is pleased to announce its inaugural mentorship program for women graduate students (MA/MSc and PhD) in the humanities and social sciences based in Nigeria. The prospective mentees will receive five nights of hotel accommodation during the LSA pre-conference and conference holding at the University of Lagos between June 25 and 29, and free meals. They will have the opportunity to work with twelve senior women scholars based in Nigeria, United States, the United Kingdom, and Israel (see below). Mentors will meet with their mentees during the conference and provide formative feedback on submitted thesis or manuscript that can be published in a journal. We plan two general interactive sessions with senior women scholars and their mentees. We anticipate that the professional relationship established with the mentees would continue after the conference. Mentees will receive the designation of “LSA Fellow” and a special recognition at the closing ceremony of the conference on June 29.

Application includes a 500-word motivation letter, indicating research interests and what the prospective mentee intends to achieve through the program, and a writing sample, which could be a chapter in a thesis or an ongoing journal manuscript. Each mentor will select two mentees (total of 24) for the inaugural edition of the program. Prospective mentees do not have to work on Lagos.

Application Deadline: May 7

If you have any questions about this program, send an email to lagosstudiesassociation@gmail.com

Submit your application here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfX6R4YiQbsW8Bg5-mlSJMrBiz1hvTQKtFzGbKP2c4eQxZCIw/viewform?vc=0&c=0&w=1

 


African Studies Review Call for Panelists:
African Studies Keywords Panel at African Studies Association of Africa 3rd Biennial Conference

African and Africana Knowledges: Past Representations, Current Discourses, Future Communities
United States International University-Africa
Nairobi, Kenya
October 24-26, 2019
The African Studies Review published the State of the Art overview essays from 1980 to 1994. Supported by the Social Science Research Council and the American Council of Learned Societies, these important scholarly discourses continue to be some of the most renowned in African studies. Essays, such as Jane Guyer’s “Household and Family” (1981), Valentin Mudimbe’s “African Gnosis” (1985), and Karin Barber’s “Popular Arts in Africa,” (1987) not only defined emerging fields but also paved the way for exciting new scholarly endeavors. Informed by Raymond Williams’ attention to “meanings and contexts,” and fueled by the recent flourish of critical attention to terminology, the African Studies Review invites proposals for individual critical scholarly essays to explore themes, topics, and ideas of interest to the ASAA conference attendees, the ASR readers, and Africanists globally reflecting emerging trends in Africanist research, local, global, and indigenous terminologies, including words in African languages.

Interested authors and co-authors should prepare a proposal comprising a title, a 250-word abstract outlining the significance of the theme/topic/keyword, and a short, annotated bibliography covering recent key scholarship. Up to five proposals may be selected for inclusion in a panel proposal for the African Studies Association of Africa conference in Nairobi, October 24-26, 2019. Proposals may be submitted by email to the ASR Managing Editor, Kathryn Salucka [kathryn@africanstudies.org] by Friday, May 10, 2019. Selected authors will be contacted by Monday, May 20, 2019. Full draft papers are due by August 15, 2019. Note: Selection to participate in the proposed panel does not guarantee publication of a paper in African Studies Review. Selected participants will be expected to cover their costs of registration, travel, and accommodation during the conference.

For more information about the ASAA conference, see the CFP: http://www.as-aa.org/index.php/asaa-2019-conference


HIPSIR | HEKIMA INSTITUTE OF PEACE STUDIES AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

CALL FOR AUGUST 2019 APPLICATIONS

Is now accepting applications for MA degree in peace studies and international relations. Candidates should apply by

15th May  2019  (for  August  2019  intake).

Application forms are available online at: www.hipsir.hekima.ac.ke

For applications and  inquiries contact:

Admissions Hekima University  College

P.O. Box 21215-00505 Nairobi-Kenya

 Emailsecretary.hipsir@hekima.ac.ke/ info@hekima.ac.ke

Websitewww.hipsir.hekima.ac.ke