"Reconfiguring African Studies" Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence at the University of Bayreuth
By Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence at University of Bayreuth
Founded in 2019 and funded by the DFG (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft), the Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence pursues the ambitious and innovative agenda of "Reconfiguring African Studies".
"Reconfiguring African Studies" Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence at the University of Bayreuth Jan 31, 2023
Cluster Conversations: Dr. Valerie Nur and Prof. Dr. Joël Glasman on artisanal knowledge in Niger from a mobile perspective
During this episode, Cluster fellow Valerie Nur talks with her fellowship host Prof. Dr. Joël Glasman (Chair of African History at the University of Bayreuth) about her research on the topic of artisanal knowledge and skills from a mobility perspective. Artisans in Niger often offer their services on the road and, in doing so, rely on a broad kinship network during their travels, within which knowledge, practices, and materials are exchanged, modified, and enhanced. By looking beyond single workshops and individual skills, I understand artisanal skill as a shared dynamic practice and places and routes of learning and exchange as hubs of technology and knowledge transfer over long distances. During her research, Nur aims to conceptualize craft as an epistemology of an exclusive professional community.
Find out more about Dr. Valerie Nur here.
For more info on the Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence, please visit here.
Cluster Conversations: Prof. Dr. Sabelo Ndlovu Gatsheni and Dr. Halil Ibrahim Arpa on the coloniality of knowledge
In this latest episode Prof. Dr. Sabelo Ndlovu Gatsheni talks with associated fellow Dr. Halil Ibrahim Arpa about his research project entitled “Decolonial Hi/stories: Literary Subversion of Colonial and Post-colonial Historiographies”. In this project, Arpa scrutinizes the coloniality of knowledge against Black and Islamic communities in the Global North and alternative epistemologies to the crisis of modernity in the Global South.
The episode was recorded during Dr. Arpa's stay at the Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence at the University of Bayreuth.
Cluster Conversations: Dr. Chembea Suleiman Athuman and Dr. Franz Kogelmann on female Islamic poetry in Zanzibar
In this episode of the Cluster Conversations Dr. Franz Kogelmann talks with Cluster fellow Dr. Chembea Suleiman Athuman about his project "Poetry (Qasidah) and Women’s Bodies in the Creation, Dissemination of Islamic Knowledge and Cultural Identity in Zanzibar". The study examines how active involvement of women in Islamic poetry (qasidah) helps (de-)construct traditional dynamics in the production and dissemination of Islamic knowledge and creation of cultural identity(-ies) along the East African coast. While Islamic knowledge production and dissemination was largely associated with male ulama (clerical class) in textual and religious spaces, advancement of media technology has caused a shift where qasidah not only support religious themes but also provide variations in the creation and transmission of knowledge and religious community identity. This shift, though rapidly gaining currency across Muslim communities, is explored within the microcosm of Zanzibar to understand how performance of poetry presents an avenue through which Muslim women engage with religious discourses in the region.
The episode was recorded during Dr. Chembea's fellowship at the Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence at the University of Bayreuth.
Dr. Don Edward Walicek and Prof. Dr. Susanne Mühleisen on language practices of West African and the English on the Gold Coast during colonial times
In this episode, Cluster fellow Prof. Dr. Don Edward Walicek (University of Puerto Rico) talks with his host Prof. Dr. Susanne Mühleisen (University of Bayreuth) about Walicek's research project “Language Ideologies and Social Contact Involving West Africans and the English on the Gold Coast.” Working on this project during his fellowship with the Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence, Walicek examines dynamics of linguistic contact among Europeans and West Africans who were involved in or otherwise impacted by the Atlantic slave trade. Focusing on language ideologies, it pays special attention to the English presence on the Gold Coast during the 16th and 17th centuries (1553-1700) given that the region was a major source of people sold into slavery as well as a point from which many departed for the Caribbean. The analysed materials consist of documents that have not been fully examined by linguists, such as local correspondence of the Royal African Company of England.
The episode was recorded during Dr. Walicek's fellowship at the Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence at the University of Bayreuth.
Cluster Conversations: Dr. Joseph Kasule and Dr. Joschka Philipps public intellectualism
In this episode, Cluster fellow Dr. Josph Kasule talks with his host Junior Research Group Leader Dr. Joschka Philipps about Kasule’s research in general and the latest book project “Intimate colonialities, public intellectualism and political revolution in Uganda” that he has been working on during his fellowship in Bayreuth.
Find out more about Dr. Joseph Kasule here.
Find out more about the Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence here.
Cluster Conversations: Dr. Maja Figge and Prof. Dr. Christine Hanke on the circulations of African militant cinemas
In this episode, Cluster fellow Dr. Maja Figge talks with her host Prof. Dr. Christine Hanke about her research that focuses on the notion of circulation. During her fellowship Figge looked at the transtemporal bonds between militant African cinemas and Afro-diasporic post-cinemas, contributing to her recent book project, a collection of essays entitled “Black (Post-)Cinemas: Genealogies, Practices, Aesthetics”.
More info: https://www.bayreuth-academy.uni-bayreuth.de/en/people/Fellows-list/title-maja-figge/index.php
Cluster Conversations: Prof. Dr. Ute Fendler and musician Alexandre Vieira on the African diasporic influence on Brazilian culture
In this episode, Cluster fellow Alexandre Vieira talks with his host Ute Fendler about the African influence on Brazilian music in general and his music in particular.
For videos on the mentioned concerts please visit: https://youtu.be/Beq56_Llge8 and https://youtu.be/-RIyuNIh2m4
Cluster Converations: Dr. Cassandra Mark-Thiesen and Dr. Noemi Alfieri on anti-colonial networks in African literature
Cluster fellow Dr. Noemi Alfieri talks with her host and Junior Research Group Leader Dr. Cassandra Mark-Thiesen about her latest research project "Mapping anti-colonial networks through literature. Transnational connections of African thinkers in the reconfiguration of space and thought (1950s - 70s)".
Cluster Conversations: Dr. Thokozani Mhlambi and Dr. Katharina Fink on his project "Umgungundlovu Suite for Reed Ensemble"
Cluster fellow Dr. Thokozani Mhlambi talks with his host Dr. Katharina Fink about his life, his love for music, his artist fellowship in the Cluster and his latest project - a music-based story set in the ancient Zulu capital of Umgungundlovu.
Cluster Conversations: Dr. Anthony Diala and Prof. Dr. Thoko Kaime on legal integration
In this latest episode of the Africa Multiple Cluster Dr. Anthony Diala (University of the Western Cape) talks with his host Prof. Dr. Thoko Kaime (Chair of African Legal Studies at the University of Bayreuth) about his fellowship during which he worked on a book project on the theoretical framework for legal integration.
Cluster Conversations: Prof. Dr. Pamila Gupta, Prof. Dr. Ute Fendler and Prof. Dr. Clarissa Vierke on the Capital Art Studio in Zanzibar
In the latest episode of the Cluster Conversations fellow Prof. Dr. Pamila Gupta talks with her hosts Prof. Dr. Ute Fendler and Prof. Dr. Clarissa Vierke on her latest project “From Indian Ocean to African Indian: Through the refracted lens of Capital Art Studio, Zanzibar
Cluster Conversations: Prof. Dr. Stefan Ouma and Dr. Faisal Garba Muhammed on mobility in Africa
In this latest episode of the Cluster Conversations fellow Dr. Faisal Garba Muhammed talks with his fellowship host Prof. Dr. Stefan Ouma about his research project in which he scrutzinizes datasets on mobility in Africa that he collected for almost 20 years. They also explore the need for a macrosociology in/of Africa.
Cluster Conversations: Artist Jean Luc Raharimanana talks with Dr. Cassandra Mark-Thiesen
In the month of May 2023, the poet and musician Jean Luc Raharimanana from Madagascar was invited by the Cluster of Excellence to accompany the Cluster's events and record his observations. In this episode of the Cluster Conversations Junior Research Group Leader Dr. Cassandra Mark-Thiesen took the opportunity to talk to the malagassy artist about paralells between her work and his.
The Conversation is in French and English.
Cluster Conversations: Dr. Wandia Njoya and Prof. Dr. Carlos Kölbl on education in Kenya
In this latest episode of the Cluster Conversations Cluster fellow Dr. Wandia Njoya talks with Prof. Dr. Carlos Kölbl about her research project in which she researches new ways of conceiving and engaging with experiences of education in Kenya and other comparable contexts.
Cluster Conversations: Fellow Prof. Dr. Stephen Brown and his host Prof. Dr. Thoko Kaime
In this episode, Cluster fellow Prof. Dr. Stephen Brown from the University of Ottawa talks with his host Prof. Dr. Thoko Kaime about the situation of the LGBTQ community on the African continent and his project "Strategic Litigation and the Decriminalization of Homosexuality in Africa" which he is currently working on during his fellowship at the Cluster of Excellence.
Cluster Conversations: Fellows Dr. Judith Bachmann and Dr. Femi Jegede in Conversation with Prof. Dr. Eva Spies
Cluster fellows Dr. Judith Bachmann and Dr. Femi Jegede are in Bayreuth to work on their tandem project “The Conquest of Distance”. In this episode of the Cluster Conversations the two fellows talk with their host Prof. Dr. Eva Spies, Professor for the Study of Religion with focus on Africa at the University of Bayreuth about their project and how they approach the subject "Ifá practices" from different angles.
Find out more about Judith Bachmann here and about Femi Jegede here.
Cluster Conversations: Prof. Dr. Iris Clemens and Prof. Dr. Dhruv Raina
In this episode, Iris Clemens - Chair of Educational Science at the University of Bayreuth and Principal Investigator of the Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence - talks with Prof. Dr. Dhruv Raina from the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, where he teaches the history and philosophy of science. Together they are having a conversation about Prof. Raina's current research that he worked on during his fellowship at the Cluster - the evolution of the university system and the tranfer of knowledge on the African continent. For more info on Prof. Raina's work please visit the website of the Bayreuth Academy of Advanced African Studies.
Cluster Conversations: Dr. Serawit Debele and Dr. Anthony Okeregbe
Cluster fellow Dr. Anthony Okeregbe talks with his host Dr. Serawit Debele, leader of the Cluster's Junior Research Group on Intersectionality, about his recent project entitled "The Child’s Right to ‘Sex’: Negotiating Sexuality Pedagogies in Entangled Moral Spaces".
Anthony Okeregbe, Ph.D, is a Senior Lecturer in Philosophy, Department of Philosophy, University of Lagos (UNILAG), and also a Principal Investigator at the Lagos African Cluster Centre of Excellence (ACC) of the Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence, University of Bayreuth, Germany. Born in Lagos where he lives with his family, Anthony Okeregbe had his early education in Lagos and Ibadan. He has a BA (Hons.) from the University of Ibadan (1991), MA (1994) and Ph.D (2004) in Philosophy from the University of Lagos, Nigeria. His teaching and research interests are in Philosophy of Religion, Phenomenology and Existentialism, Philosophy and Contemporary African lifeworlds. He is presently a member of the UNILAG Postgraduate Board and chair of the Postgraduate Committee of the Department of Philosophy. From 2012-2014 he was Co-editor of Nigerian Journal of Philosophy.
Dr. Serawit Debele is the leader of the Junior Research Group "Sexualities, Political Orders and Revolutions in Africa: into the heart of Tunisia, Ethiopia and Sudan" at the Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence.
Cluster Conversations: Fellow Dr. Lamine Doumbia and Prof. Dr. Andrea Behrends
Dr. Lamine Doumbia who is a fellow of the Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence talks with his host Prof. Dr. Andrea Behrends about his research surrounding urban land governance in West Africa (Dakar, Bamako and Ouagadougou) from a socio-anthropological perspective.
Interview with Kenyan poet and scholar Abdilatif Abdalla
Abdilatif Abdalla who was in Bayreuth as guest for the series of events on the Indian Ocean, in conversation with Clarissa Vierke, Professor of Literatures in African Languages at the University of Bayreuth. Abdilatif Abdalla is a Kenyan poet, publicist and university lecturer and considered one of the best-known Swahili poets of the present day. Since 1995, Abdalla has taught Swahili at the University of Leipzig.
#9 Sprint Lecture with Dr. Kai Koddenbrock: African states in world markets: Systemic hierarchies and the postcolonial International Political Economy of governing Senegal
The ninth episode of the Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence podcast presents a 20-minute talk and 20-minute debate with Dr. Kai Koddenbrock about "African states in world markets: Systemic hierarchies and the postcolonial International Political Economy of governing Senegal".
The sprint lectures on planetary mobility struggles are brought to you by the Research Section Mobilities of the Cluster of Excellence.
Scholars are invited to give short lectures on struggles around the im/mobilities of people, things and ideas in Africa and of Africans. Followed by a short interdisciplinary discussion giving brief insights into emerging issues and research projects.
Special thanks to:
Dr. Kai Koddenbrock (Guest, University of Bayreuth)
Dr. Paddy Kinyera (Host)
Anne-Sophie Kummer (Sound engineering)
Music: "Lagos Run" by Snorre Fjeldstad
Visit: www.africamultiple.uni-bayreuth.de for more information on the Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence
#8 Sprint Lecture with Dr. Kamal Donko: "Local perceptions on Migration Control and Local Economy in the Kantchari-Makalondi Borderland"
The eighth episode of the Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence podcast presents a 20-minute talk and 20-minute debate with Dr Kamal Donko highlighting "Local perceptions on Migration Control and Local Economy in the Kantchari-Makalondi Borderland."
The sprint lectures on planetary mobility struggles are brought to you by the Research Section Mobilities of the Cluster of Excellence.
Scholars are invited to give short lectures on struggles around the im/mobilities of people, things and ideas in Africa and of Africans. Followed by a short interdisciplinary discussion giving brief insights into emerging issues and research projects.
Special thanks to:
Dr. Kamal Donko (Guest, LASDEL-Benin/ University of Bayreuth)
Dr. Paddy Kinyera (Host)
Anne-Sophie Kummer (Sound engineering)
Music: "Lagos Run" by Snorre Fjeldstad
Visit: www.africamultiple.uni-bayreuth.de for more information on the Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence
#7 Sprint Lecture with Dr. Christian A. Williams: “Liberation Movement Camps in Southern Africa”
The seventh episode of the Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence podcast presents a 30-minute discussion with Dr. Christian A. Williams, titled “Liberation Movement Camps in Southern Africa”
The sprint lectures on planetary mobility struggles are brought to you by the Research Section Mobilities of the Cluster of Excellence.
Scholars are invited to give short lectures on struggles around the im/mobilities of people, things and ideas in Africa and of Africans. Followed by a short interdisciplinary discussion giving brief insights into emerging issues and research projects.
Special Thanks to:
Dr. Christian A. Williams (Guest)
Dr. Jochen Lingelbach (Host)
Theresa Reß (Sound engineering)
Music: "Lagos Run" by Snorre Fjeldstad
Visit: www.africamultiple.uni-bayreuth.de for more information on the Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence
#6 Sprint Lecture with Dr. Fredrick O. Okaka: "Emerging (im)mobility trends along the LAPSSET corridor"
The sixth episode of the Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence podcast entails a 30-minute discussion with Dr. Fredrick O. Okaka - a lecturer in the Department of Geography at Moi University - titled "Emerging (im)mobility trends along the LAPSSET corridor".
The sprint lectures on planetary mobility struggles are brought to you by the Research Section Mobilities of the Cluster of Excellence.
Scholars are invited to give short lectures on struggles around the im/mobilities of people, things and ideas in Africa and of Africans. Followed by a short interdisciplinary discussion giving brief insights into emerging issues and research projects.
Special thanks to:
Dr. Fredrick O. Okaka (Guest)
Paddy Kinyera (Host)
Theresa Reß (sound engineering)
Music: "Lagos Run" by Snorre Fjeldstad
Visit: www.africamultiple.uni-bayreuth.de for more information on the Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence
#5 Sprint Lecture with Dr. Franca Attoh & Dr. Kayode Eesuola: "A cross-sectional survey on IntraAfrican Migration and Xenophobia"
The fifth episode of the Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence podcast presents a 30-minute talk with Dr. Franca Attoh & Dr. Kayode Eesuola titled: "A cross sectional survey on IntraAfrican Migration and Xenophobia"
The sprint lectures on planetary mobility struggles are brought to you by the Research Section Mobilities of the Cluster of Excellence.
Scholars are invited to give short lectures on struggles around the im/mobilities of people, things and ideas in Africa and of Africans. Followed by a short interdisciplinary discussion giving brief insights into emerging issues and research projects.
Special thanks to:
Dr. Franca Attoh (Guest)
Dr. Kayode Eesuola (Guest)
Grace Akese (Host)
Theresa Reß (sound engineering)
Music: "Lagos Run" by Snorre Fjeldstad
Visit: www.africamultiple.uni-bayreuth.de for more information on the Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence
#4 Sprint Lecture with Larissa Schindler: "Im/mobilities and their research methods"
The fourth episode of the Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence podcast presents a 20-minute talk and 20-minute debate with Larissa Schindler - Professor for Sociology at the University of Bayreuth - entitled "Im/mobilities and their research methods".
The sprint lectures on planetary mobility struggles are brought to you by the Research Section Mobilities of the Cluster of Excellence.
Scholars are invited to give short lectures on struggles around the im/mobilities of people, things and ideas in Africa and of Africans. Followed by a short interdisciplinary discussion giving brief insights into emerging issues and research projects.
Special thanks to:
Larissa Schindler (Guest)
Cyrus Samimi (Host)
Theresa Reß (sound engineering)
Music: "Lagos Run" by Snorre Fjeldstad
Visit: www.africamultiple.uni-bayreuth.de for more information on the Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence
#3 Sprint Lecture with Paddy Kinyera and Martin Doevenspeck: "COVID-19 and the politics of (im)mobility in Uganda"
The third episode of the Cluster's Sprint Lectures on African mobilities presents a talk entitled "COVID-19 and the politics of (im)mobility in Uganda" with with Paddy Kinyera (Postdoctoral researcher in Political Geography at University of Bayreuth) and Martin Doevenspeck (Professor for Political Geography at the University of Bayreuth, Germany).
The sprint lectures on planetary mobility struggles are brought to you by the Research Section Mobilities of the Cluster of Excellence. They invite scholars to give short lectures on struggles around the im/mobilities of people, things and ideas in Africa and of Africans. Followed by a short interdisciplinary discussion giving brief insights into emerging issues and research projects.
Thank you for tuning in!
For more info on the Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence visit: www.africamultiple.uni-bayreuth.de
Episode 3 - Paddy Kinyera and Martin Doevenspeck: "COVID-19 and the politics of (im)mobility in Uganda"
Special thanks to:
Paddy Kinyera and Martin Doevenspeck (Guests)
Uli Beisel (Host)
Theresa Reß (sound engineering)
Music: "Lagos Run" by Snorre Fjeldstad
#2 Sprint Lecture with Nadine Machikou: "Invisible Intellectuals, African Academic Mobility in Question"
The second episode of the Cluster's Sprint Lectures on African mobilities presents a talk entitled "Invisible Intellectuals, African Academic Mobility in Question" with Nadine Machikou - Université de Yaounde 2, Kamerun.
The sprint lectures on planetary mobility struggles are brought to you by the Research Section Mobilities of the Cluster of Excellence. They invite scholars to give short lectures on struggles around the im/mobilities of people, things and ideas in Africa and of Africans. Followed by a short interdisciplinary discussion giving brief insights into emerging issues and research projects.
Thank you for tuning in!
Visit www.africamultiple.uni-bayreuth.de for more information on the Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence
Episode 2 - Nadine Machikou: "Invisible Intellectuals, African Academic Mobility in Question"
Special thanks to:
Nadine Machikou (Guest)
Joël Glasman (Host)
Theresa Reß (sound engineering)
Music: "Lagos Run" by Snorre Fjeldstad
#1 Sprint Lecture: Parvati Raghuram: "Four Moves for Reshaping Migration Categories."
The first episode of the Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence podcast presents a 20-minute talk and 20-minute debate with Parvati Raghuram (Professor of Geography at Open University) entitled "Four Moves for Reshaping Migration Categories".
It has been recorded as part of a lecture series planetary mobility struggles organised by the Research Section Mobilities of the Cluster of Excellence. They invite scholars to give short lectures on struggles around the im/mobilities of people, things and ideas in Africa and of Africans. Followed by a short interdisciplinary discussion giving brief insights into emerging issues and research projects.
Thank you for tuning in!
Visit www.africamultiple.uni-bayreuth.de for more information on the Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence at the University of Bayreuth.
Episode 1: Sprint Lecture with Parvati Raghuram "Four Moves for Reshaping Migration Categories"
Parvati Raghuram (Guest)
Grace Akese (Host)
Theresa Reß (Sound Engineering)
Music: "Lagos Run" by Snorre Fjeldstad
To find more about the Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence at the University of Bayreuth, please visit our website: