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ACT - Africa Centre for Transregional Research

The Africa Centre of Freiburg is a Competence Centre for Transregional, Reciprocal African Studies and Societal Exchange.

Stay informed about events, research and more with the ACT newsletter!

ACT, the Africa Centre for Transregional Research, at the University of Freiburg, is host for African researchers. ACT aims to establish a differentiated image of African reality in the public sphere.

ACT is a competence, service, and information centre for European African studies in teaching, research, and innovation.

With reciprocity of research as its guiding motive, ACT establishes a new form of cooperation between German, European and African researchers.

 

Ongoing research projects of the ACT

Restitution of Dignity?
Human Remains - Kolonialismus - Humanity

The research project focuses on the problem of dealing with the dehumanizing dimensions of colonialism and their effects on scientific practice to this day.

 

Events

Anton Wilhelm Amo Lecture (MIASA)
„Ancestral Knowledge for Contemporary Transformation“

15.10.2024 4:00pm UTC, Ghana/online

Scientific Symposium
"Burundi in East Africa: Opportunities and challenges"

organized by the Baden-Württemberg University Network for Global Partnerships (GloPart), the Africa Centre for Transregional Research and the Arnold Bergstraesser Institute
with the support of the Foundation for Development Cooperation in Baden-Württemberg (SEZ)

18.11.2024 - 19.11.2024

Evening Event
Global Partnerships - challenges and perspectives for univesities and civil society.
40 years of Baden-Württemberg & Burundi partnership

18.11.2024, 16:30-19:30, Haus zur Lieben Hand

Public Lecture hosted by the Global Studies Programme
How conflicts over land and water resources turn into religious conflicts: The case of Nigeria

with Daniel Tuki, Alumni of the GSP, currently at WZB Berlin
26.11.2024, 18:15, KG4, ÜR1

Freiburg Africa Talk
Restitution: A Positioning

with Dr. Richard Tsogang Fossi, Dr. Fiona Siegenthaler, Prof. Dr. Andreas Mehler
27.11.2024, 20:00

Public Lecture by Dr. Apoli Bertrand Kameni (Gabon/France)
„Security of international supplies of strategic minerals and insecurity in Africa“

05.12.2024 14:00 st, Herderbau R100

Freiburg Africa Talk
Conflict, Rule of Law and Critical Minerals in Africa

with Dr. Collins Chikodili Ajibo, Prof. Dr. Andreas Mehler
22.01.2025, 20:00, HS1098 (KGI)

 

News

ACT welcomes guests for the winterterm 2024/25 (30.10.2024)

As the new semester starts, so do new scholarship programs. We are pleased to welcome guests of the University of Freiburg from Ghana and Nigeria at the ACT.

Get to know the former adademic coordinator of the ACT: Dr. Stephanie Boye  (15.10.2024)

In her recently published dissertation, Dr Stephanie Boye opens up new perspectives on Franco-Senegalese literature and the untranslatable Senegalese term jom. Her unusual career is closely linked to her time in Senegal. In this portrait, she talks about her story.

Interview with Archivist Judith Boateng from the University of Ghana (15.10.2024)

Judith Opoku-Boateng visited the ACT in September 2024 and joined the Restitution Workshop held together with MIASA. We asked her about her passion for preserving Africa’s audiovisual heritage, the role of archives in the restitution debate and the challenges she faces in preserving audiovisual heritage.

Call for Applications extended: PhD Erasmus+ Scholarship for semester stays at University of Ghana (11.10.2024)

All active PhDs in Humanities at the University of Freiburg can apply for funding until the 21st of October 2024.

Symposium: Refugees and Displaced Persons in the Great Lakes Region  (25.09.2024)

The ABI research cluster “Patterns of (Forced) Migration” in association with the ACT, organised a symposium on Refugees and Displaced Persons in the Great Lakes Region, which provided an opportunity for researchers from the region, as well as those working there, to offer their insights.

Former REK-funded Dr. Agbelengor successfully defended his PhD thesis (09.09.2024)

The doctoral student visited Freiburg and the ACT in 2022/23 under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Andreas Mehler.

New ERC Grant for Franziska Zanker (ABI): "The Political Lives of Migrants: Perspectives from Africa" (05.09.2024)

The European Research Council will fund a new research project on migration in Africa, led by Dr. Franziska Zanker at the Arnorld-Bergstraesser-Institut.

Workshop Report: Human Remains in University Collections - Comparison and Entanglement (15.07.2024)

Following research projects by the ABI and ACT on the restitution of human remains, a workshop on “Human Remains in University Collections - Comparison and Entanglements” was held at the ABI on July 15, 2024.

"Of Ears of the Living and Voices of the Dead" (15. and 18.07.2024)

A public science communication experiment on the subject of restitution took place on the Platz der Alten Synagoge in Freiburg, conceived by a group led by Dr. Balz Alter, together with E 3600 sicentific artworks, director Michael Buseke and dramaturge Lucie Tuma.

Calls

We inform you about current calls and open positions here.