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Faculty Feature: Benjamin Soares

Professor in the Department of Religion Benjamin Soares is a scholar of Islam and Muslim societies in Africa whose research focuses on religious life from the early 20th century to the present. In recent work, he has looked at connections between changing modalities of religious expression, different modes of belonging, and emergent social imaginaries in […]

Faculty Feature: Fatimah Tuggar

Fatimah Tuggar | Associate professor in Art & Art History Interdisciplinary artist Tuggar was born in Nigeria and raised there and in the United Kingdom. She has studied, lived, and worked in the US since the late ’80s. Her work uses technology as both medium and subject to serve as metaphors for power dynamics. She […]

CAS Highlights Book Releases

The Center for African Studies highlights new book releases by our very own faculty members: Terje Østebø, Marit Østebø, Adrienne Strong and Luise White. Islam, Ethnicity, and Conflict in Ethiopia, The Bale Insurgency, 1963-1970 by Terje Østebø Village Gone Viral, Understanding the Spread of Policy Models in a Digital Age by Marit Tolo Østebø Documenting […]

Happy Birthday Chinua Achebe: Tribute to a master storyteller from Ogidi, Anambra State, Nigeria

March 21st marked seven years since Prof. Chinualumogu Albert Achebe joined his ancestors. He died in Boston, USA on 21st March 2013, after a brief illness, aged 82. In life and in death he remains many things to many people. His Son, Dr. Chidi Achebe in remembrance of his father sent a message around on […]

Happy Retirement

Dr. Peter Schmidt is professor of anthropology and a former director of the Center for African Studies. He has conducted archaeological research in Tanzania, Eritrea, Kenya, Ethiopia, and throughout eastern Africa. His work has a strong focus on facilitating community archaeology in the regions he conducts research. His publications include: “Hardcore Ethnography: Interrogating the Intersection of […]

Congratulations to all students graduating this semester!

Jesse B. Borden Department: School for Natural Resources and Environment Thesis Title: “Ecological Disturbances and Canopy Communities”Ann Lee Grimstad Department: History Dissertation Title: “Zanzibar: the Nine Hour Revolution”Erik Timmons Department: Anthropology Dissertation Title: “Hip-Hop Life and Livelihood in Nairobi, Kenya.” Jacqueline Allegra Curnick Department: MDP Field Practicum: “Environmental health and justice in Alaska and Documentary: Pulling […]

Graduate Student Mandissa Haarhoff Featured in Mural Downtown

A portrait of Mandissa Haarhoff (PhD student, English) was recently painted in downtown Gainesville. The mural, located at the entrance of the Gainesville Southwest Downtown Parking Garage, is part of the Urban Revitalization Project and 352walls project. If you want more info on the Urban Revitalization Project, click here.   CAS News Bulletin- Week of April 2, […]

Livestock, Sanitation, Hygiene, and Child Growth: Exploring the complex underlying causes of child stunting

Undernutrition is an underlying cause of nearly half of all deaths among children under five, and, in Africa, nearly one third of children are chronically undernourished. Chronic malnutrition – as indicated by stunted growth – is not completely reversed by optimized diet and reduced diarrhea. This has led to the hypothesis that a primary underlying […]

UF Faculty Present at Workshop in Niger

  Leonardo A. Villalón and Olivier Walther presented their new OECD project Cities and Borders at a workshop entitled “Linking borderlands research and policy in Africa and Europe” in Niamey, Niger on December 1. The workshop was organized by Point Sud, the African Borderlands Research Network (ABORNE) and the Laboratory of Studies and Research on Social Dynamics and Local Development (Lasdel). CAS News […]

Center for African Studies Artist-in-Residence: Elisabeth Efua Sutherland

The Center for African Studies was pleased to host Fall 2018 Visiting Artist Elisabeth Efua Sutherland. Sutherland is an artist, dancer, choreographer, playwright, and director, based in the West African nation of Ghana. Sutherland holds a B.A. in Theatre from DePauw University (USA) and an MA in Performance Arts from Brunel University (UK). Sutherland is co-founder of Ghana’s Accra […]

Primatology Researchers to Speak on Mountain Gorillas and Their Conservation

Primatology researchers to speak on mountain gorillas and their conservation To celebrate the exhibit “Bob Campbell’s Photographs of Dian Fossey’s Karisoke Research Center, 1968-1972”, the UF Smathers Libraries are pleased to host two leading primatologists to discuss their work with the mountain gorillas of East Africa. Tara Stoinski of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund and […]

Center for African Studies at the ASA Annual Meeting

University of Florida Center for African Studies had over 40 presenters representing the program at the African Studies Association Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL. Even more UF African Studies affiliates came to the meeting to support the Center and attend lectures. UF attendees came together for the African Studies Quarterly reception held on Saturday, honoring Hunt Davis […]

Migration Dreams: Africans in China

“The History of African Trading Communities in Guangzhou, China” Dr. Heidi Østbø Haugen, University of Oslo “The Bridge is not Burning: Transformation and Resilience within China’s African Diaspora Communities” Dr. Adams Bodomo, University of Vienna April 5th, 404 Grinter Hall 11:45 AM— 2 PM (Lunch will be provided) Film Showing: Guangzhou Dream Factory With Filmmaker Christiane […]

Congo-Kinshasa meets Gainesville

Event 1 : Wednesday, March 29th, 6-10 p.m. at The Wooly: a screening of Djo Munga’s award-winning “sexy crime flick,” set in Kinshasa. Event 2: Thursday, March 30th, 3-5 p.m. at Smathers Library (East) room 100: an interactive archival and exhibition workshop focused on the Special Collections’ newest manuscripts collection, the Papa Mfumu’eto comic archive, […]

Negotiating Gender and Sexualities in Muslim Africa

The symposium explores the lived experiences related to gender and sexualities among Muslims living in diverse societies in contemporary Africa. We acknowledge and invite discussions of sub-cultures of sexual and gender non-conformity, and the ritual traditions that include gender play and subversion across Muslim Africa. Event Date: Friday, March 24th at 3:30 p.m. and continues […]

2017 Global Nutrition Symposium

Nurturing Development: Improving Human Nutrition with Animal-Source Foods Location: University of Florida, Gainesville, FL Date: Thursday, March 30, 2017 Time: 8:00 – 5:00pm EDT, reception to follow Join the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Livestock Systems at UF/IFAS for a day long symposium to learn about the important role of animal-source foods in improving […]

The Carter Conference

For over 25 years the Center for African Studies at the University of Florida has organized annual lectures or a conference in honor of the late distinguished Africanist scholar, Gwendolen M. Carter. Gwendolen Carter devoted her career to scholarship and advocacy concerning the politics of inequality and injustice, especially in southern Africa.

UF Alumni in Ghana

  Also, while in Ghana, CAS Director Brenda Chalfin caught up with three UF alumni! Pictured here (left to right) is Adjowa Walker (’08), Afua Entsuah (’08), and Emmanuel Gamor (’09) at the Coco Lounge in Accra on Thursday January 5th, 2017.   CAS News Bulletin: Week of January 16th, 2017

Dr. Ostebo Comments on Oromo Protests and the State of Emergency in Ethiopia

According to Terje Ǿstebǿ, Associate Professor of Religion at UF, a great deal is at stake with the recent Oromo protests and the 6-month state of emergency issued in Ethiopia on October 9th, 2016. Ǿstebǿ recently returned from a 5-day trip to the country last week. Some brief background: Ethiopia is governed by the Ethiopian […]