Graduate Student News Anna Mwaba (Political Science) just successfully defended her dissertation, “Monitoring Elections in Africa: Investigating the Role of Regional Actors.” Congratulations Anna on your successful defense! Mandisa Haarhoff (English Literature) has been hired as a lecturer in the Department of English Literature at the University of Cape Town. She notes that she will be the first […]
Wishing CAS friends, faculty, students and affiliates happy holidays and best wishes for the new year. The Spring Semester schedule is already filling-up. Mark your calendars for the 2017 Carter Conference “TEXT meets IMAGE | IMAGE meets TEXT: SEQUENCES & ASSEMBLAGES OUT OF AFRICA & CONGO” scheduled for February 8-10. Fallou Ngom, winner of the […]
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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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Visiting Associate Professor Olivier Walther completed a 6-month comparative study for the World Food Programme (WFP) Regional Bureau for West Africa on women market activities this month. The study examined the role that women play in the rural market economy and the agricultural and livestock sector value chain, from production at village level through to […]
Read more "New UN report co-authored by Dr. Walther examines women market activities in West Africa"
CAS is pleased to announce a new bi-weekly bulletin funded in part by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education with support from the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. “African Business Update” is dedicated to providing curated reporting on business in select African countries. A preview of the African Business Update is viewable […]
Sheila Maingi, a 2nd year student in the Masters of Development Practice (MDP) program, conducted research in Gauteng Province, South Africa this past summer. She partnered with Gender Links for Equality and Justice, a Southern Africa based organization, in their ‘Sunrise Campaign’. The program seeks to empower women who are survivors of Gender Based Violence (GBV) with […]
Hilker, F. M., L. J. S. Allen, V. A. Bokil, C. J. Briggs, Z. Feng, K. A. Garrett, L. J. Gross, F. M. Hamelin, M. J. Jeger, C. A. Manore, A. G. Power, M. G. Redinbaugh, M. A. Rúa and N. J. Cunniffe. 2017. Modelling virus coinfection to inform management of maize lethal necrosis in Kenya. […]
Dr. Pedro Sanchez recently joined University of Florida as a Research Professor of Tropical Soils with the Soil and Water Sciences Department and Institute for Sustainable Food Systems. His work with tropical soils and food security in Africa builds off of multiple partnerships both within and outside of the University of Florida. First and foremost is […]
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Dr. Olivier Walther and Ibrahim Yahaya Ibrahim were quoted in the New York Observer on the current security climate in the Sahel. CAS News Bulletin- Week of October 9, 2017
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Walther, O. (2017), “Wars and Conflicts in the Sahara-Sahel”, West African Papers, No. 10, OECD Publishing, Paris. https://dx.doi.org/10.1787/8bbc5813-en CAS News Bulletin- Week of October 9, 2017
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Shahreen Zaman is the newest addition to the Center for African Studies staff. She is the Academic Assistant for the Center for African Studies, contributing to program and database management, among other critical duties. You can find her at the main office desk. Shahreen is a recent graduate of the University of Florida, earning a B.A. […]
Dr. Peter Schmidt (Anthropology) and two Africanists (Kathryn Weedman Arthur and Jonathan Walz) associated with UF were published in the September 2017 issue of the Magazine of the Society for American Archaeology. To read the magazine, click here. Walther O, Leuprecht C, Skillicorn D. 2017. Political fragmentation and alliances among armed non-state actors in North and […]
Christopher Richards is an alumnus of UF, studying Art History and African Studies. He graduated in the summer of 2014. While at UF, Dr. Richards was very involved with the Center for African Studies, regularly attending Center events, and was a FLAS Fellow for multiple semesters. After graduating, he completed a Mellon Postdoctoral fellowship at the […]
Dr. Marit Ostebo has been cultivating partnerships through her upcoming research projects and within her position as the faculty coordinator for the Social Change and Development in Africa (SCAD) Working Group. Most recently she has established connections with other researchers working on the concept of partnership through the SCAD Working Group symposium, “Revisiting Partnership in Africa” […]
The CAS Fall Reception was this Saturday at Ustler Hall. We want to thank all who attended to celebrate another year of African Studies at UF. Following the opening remarks from Director Brenda Chalfin, guests enjoyed food, drinks, and dancing to the music of DJ Dada. CAS News Bulletin- Week of September 25, 2017
Dr. Luise White spent the past year researching and writing as a Fellow of the National Humanities Center in North Carolina. Her newest book will focus on white soldiers in the Rhodesian Army, continuing some of the issues that grew out of her last book about the Rhodesian state. In her new book, she has used the papers […]
Awards: Riley Ravary (PhD student, Anthropology) was awarded a US Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Fellowship to conduct dissertation research for 8 months in Uganda, beginning in 2018. Publications: African Border Disorders: Addressing Transnational Extremist Organizations.2018. Edited by Olivier J. Walther (University of Florida) and William F.S. Miles (Northeastern University). Routledge Studies in African Politics and International Relations. Since the end of the Cold […]
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Dr. Rose Lugano spent her summer in Kenya, partnering with the Technical University of Mombasa on a project funded by the Carnegie Africa Diaspora Fellowship. This fellowship funds African faculty members in the US and Canada to partner with universities in their home countries throughout Africa on a variety of projects. Dr. Lugano worked with […]
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Welcome from Director for the Center for Global Islamic Studies Dear Colleagues, I am very pleased to become the new director of Center for Global Islamic Studies (CGS) and work to develop the center and programming about Islam and Muslim societies at the University of Florida. I would also like to take this opportunity to […]
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Bob Campbell is best known for his famous photos of Dian Fossey’s research on the mountain gorillas of Rwanda. His work was published in National Geographic, popularizing the conservation of mountain gorillas in the 1970s. This exhibit uses photos focusing on Dian Fossey’s gorilla conservation work at Karisoke Research Center, curated from the University of […]
Choreographer Faustin Linyekula visited UF for the 2004 Carter Conference, “Movement (R)evolution: Contemporary African Dance.” The New York Times article discusses his participation as an instructor in the “Festival of Dreams,” a workshop that helps street dancers in Brooklyn. The article also touches on how being from the DRC informs his dance, and his plans […]
Dr. Olivier Walther joins the Center for African Studies this year as a Visiting Associate Professor. He is an Associate Professor in Political Science at the University of Southern Denmark, the Africa Editor for the Journal of Borderlands Studies and has a long history of collaboration in research with organizations such as the World Food Programme and the OECD. His research […]
Dr. Abbey Chokera, UF alumnus and former Director of the UF Africa Choir (Pazeni Sauti), was featured in the UFIC Bulletin and UF College of the Arts News for his appointment by the President of Kenya’s office to be the Senior Assistant Director of Music for the Ministry of Sports, Culture and the Arts. https://arts.ufl.edu/in-the-loop/news/som-alumnus-abbey-chokera-appointed-senior-assistant-director-of-music-in-kenya/Dr. […]
Co-authors Jennifer Moore, a student in the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Felix Mulindahabi, a student in SNRE, and Madan Oli, a professor in WEC recently published an article in the Journal of Applied Ecology. Moore, J.F., Mulindahbai, F., Masozera, M.K., Nichols, J.D., Hines, J.E., Turikunkiko, E., and Oli, M.K. 2017. Are ranger patrols […]
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Hello! I’m Riley Ravary, the new Programs and Communications Officer taking over for Jenny Boylan. This is my fourth year at UF researching East African protected areas through the Anthropology doctoral program. My undergraduate education was completed at Michigan State University, where I first started participating in African Studies coursework through their Center’s program. Here at UF […]
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Alain Karsenty, Claudia Romero∗, Paolo Omar Cerutti, Jean-Louis Doucet, Francis E. Putz, Christelle Bernard, Richard Eba’a Atyi, Pascal Douard, Florian Claeys, Sébastien Desbureaux, Driss Ezzine de Blas, Adeline Fayolle, Timothée Fomété, Eric Forni, Valéry Gond, Sylvie Gourlet-Fleury, Fritz Kleinschroth, Frédéric Mortier, Robert Nasi, Jean Claude Nguinguiri, Cédric Vermeulen, Carlos de Wasseigek. 2017. Deforestation and timber production in […]
2017-2018 FLAS Fellows and CAS Research Assistants Congratulations to all Center for African Studies Research Assistants and Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellows for this school year! Swahili FLAS Fellows include Jesse Borden (Ecology), Aaron Ellrich (Anthropology), Joshua Martin (Linguistics), Ciara McLaren (Political Science), and Benjamin Lowe (Ecology). Akan FLAS Fellows include Max Gelber (MDP) […]
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Welcome Back from Director Brenda Chalfin Dear CAS Students, Faculty, Friends and Affiliates: Welcome Back to Campus! As the 2017-18 Academic Year takes off we look forward to your involvement in Center programs and activities. Mark your calendars. Our first Baraza is scheduled for Friday, September 8 with Xolela Mangcu from the University of Cape Town. The […]
Allegra, Jacqueline – MDP program and Certificate in African Studies – Field Practicum: Environmental Health in the Artic- a documentary film, Anchorage, Alaska Borden, Jesse – 1st year MSc student (SNRE) and FLAS Fellow through CAS – conducting research in forest canopies around Gainesville from May-June. In June, he will be surveying a forest’s canopy in a small tropical […]
SWAC/OECD Secretariat signs a memorandum of understanding w/UF On 4 April, the SWAC/OECD Secretariat hosted the Sahel Research Group of the University of Florida to celebrate the new memorandum of understanding between the two organisations. Leonardo A. Villalón, Dean of the International Center and Co-ordinator of the Sahel Research Group at the University of Florida […]
Awards Fiona McLaughlin– Awarded a Residential Fellowship from the Camargo Foundation in Cassis, France for Fall 2017. While in residence, she will be working on her book, Language and urban life in Dakar: A critical sociolinguistics of language in the postcolony. Ikeade Akinyemi– Superior Staff Award, presented at the Evening of Excellence, UF College of Liberal […]
John Hames (Anthropology, UF), 2017, “‘A River is not a Boundary’: Interplays of National and Linguistic Citizenship in Pulaar Language Activism,” Canadian Journal of African Studies. Anita Hannig (Brandeis University), 2017, Beyond Surgery: Injury, Healing, and Religion at an Ethiopian Hospital. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. (Dr. Hannig was our Baraza speaker on Oct. 21, 2016). CAS […]
Lina Benabdallah (Political Science) has accepted a tenure-track Assistant Professor position in political science at Wake Forest University! Congrats Lina! CAS News Bulletin- Week of April 10th, 2017
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Ba, Oumar. 2017. “Dislocated Narratives and Kenyan Life Fragments: Political Violence, Nationhood, and Justice in Flux,” Journal of Narrative Politics 3(2): 108-119. Online available here. CAS News Bulletin- Week of April 3rd, 2017
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“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 […]
Jessie-Leigh Seago (PhD candidate, Political Science) was awarded a US Fulbright Research Grant to conduct dissertation research for 9 months in Namibia, beginning in 2017. CAS News Bulletin- Week of March 27th, 2017
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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, […]
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 […]
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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 […]
As part of a Coalition for International Education initiative to promote the Title VI and Fulbright-Hays programs, Center for Latin American Studies Director, Dr. Philip J. Williams, and Center for African Studies Director, Dr. Brenda Chalfin, traveled to Washington DC to meet with congressional staff of Senator Marco Rubio, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and Rep. […]
On Saturday January 28th, 2017, the African Student Union at UF represented the Center for African Studies at the International Festival at Oak Hall School in Gainesville. Felicity Tackey-Otoo – Ghana, Martin Nwodo- Nigeria (both Ph.D Construction Management Students) and Sheila Maingi- Kenya (MDP Program) participated in the festival. After setting up a 10×10 […]
Oumar Ba (PhD, Political Science) successfully defended his dissertation, “Outsourcing Justice: Africa and the Politics of the International Criminal Court.” Terje Ostebo, Director of the Center for Global Islamic Studies and Associate Professor in Religion and the Center for African Studies, wrote an op-ed in the Sunday edition (2/12) of the Gainesville Sun, titled, “Trump’s Muslim Ban […]
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Rene Lemarchand, Emeritus Professor of Political Science and African Studies, wrote an op-ed in the Gainesville Sun, printed in Sunday’s Edition (Feb. 5th) but also available here. CAS News Bulletin- Week of February 6th, 2017
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Please join us in welcoming Paschal Charles Mdukula and Paul Japhet, two Visiting Scholars from Tanzania attached to the UF Center for African Studies as part of the Center’s longstanding University of Dar es Salaam – UF Exchange Program. Paschal Charles Mdukula is an Assistant Lecturer in Linguistics at the University of Dar es Salaam, with a research […]
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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
Pedro A. Sanchez. “En route to plentiful food production in Africa.” Nature Plants 1: 1-2. (2015). Amanda B. Edgell. “Foreign Aid, Democracy, and Gender Quota Laws.” Democratization (2017). Access the online pre-print here. CAS News Bulletin: Week of January 16th, 2017
Dear CAS Students, Faculty and Friends: Welcome back to campus and best wishes for the New Year! I’m in Ghana where I witnessed the inauguration of incoming President, Nana Akuffo-Addo! Very exciting! There’s already a lot going on at the Center too although the semester’s just begun. Mark your calendars: The Covering Africa initiative co-sponsored […]
Emily Pukuma (Political Science) has been awarded a CLAS Dissertation Fellowship funded by the W. W. Massey, Sr. Presidential Scholarship Fund for the Spring 2017 term. Mamadou Bodian (Political Science) defended his dissertation, “The Politics of Electoral Reform in Francophone West Africa: The Birth and Change of Electoral Rules in Mali, Niger, and Senegal.” His supervisor committee […]
Read more "Awards and Publications Week of December 5, 2016"
UF ASA PARTY The Center for African Studies invites UF faculty, students, alumni, and friends to join us at Duke’s Counter (3000 Connecticut Ave NW) on Friday December 2nd from 9pm – midnight. We will have some tables reserved but still plan on taking over the place Gator style!See you there! UF SCHEDULE AT ASA Session Times Thurs. Dec. 1: […]
Oumar Ba, PhD Candidate in Political Science, has accepted a tenure-track Assistant Professor position in Political Science at Morehouse College (Atlanta, GA) beginning August 2017. Congrats Oumar! CAS News Bulletin: Week of November 28th, 2016
Jennifer Moore – Doctoral Candidate in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. Proposed research project and location: Mammalian biodiversity monitoring and conservation in Nyungwe National Park, Rwanda Cody Howard – Doctoral Candidate in Biology, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Proposed research project and location: Arid Climate Pioneers: The historical evolution of the […]
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Dr. Rose Lugano (Dept. of Languages, Literatures, & Cultures) was awarded a fellowship by the Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship program to travel to Kenya to work with Technical University of Mombasa and Dr. Susan M. Bosire on curriculum co-development for Swahili language for foreigners. The focus is to develop an immersion course aimed at utilizing […]
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1) In what years did you graduate from Cornell? The University of Paris? The University of Poitiers? I know you arrived at UF in 1974. Did you teach anywhere else prior to that ? Yes, I hold degrees from Cornell: a PhD in Comparative Literature, with a minor in Cultural Anthropology, 1974, and a M.A., […]
A Lesson in Islam Dr. Terje Ostebo was recently interviewed for a CBS News 4 Gainesville story on Islam. CAS News Bulletin: Week of November 7th, 2016
Obama’s Legacy in Africa Check out this New Republic blog post, featuring commentary from our own Lina Benabdallah, on Obama’s Legacy in Africa, his Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), and China’s targeting of future leaders. CAS News Bulletin: Week of November 7th, 2016
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SOUTH AFRICA, BURUNDI AND GAMBIA LEAVE THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT (ICC) As discussed by UF’s Oumar Ba in this contribution to the Africa is a Country blog, South Africa announced it was withdrawing from the International Criminal Court on Friday October 21st. Prior to that announcement, Burundi’s Parliament voted to leave the ICC on October 12th, […]
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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 […]
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The Eco Tones Podcast is curated by Patrick Milligan, a 2nd year PhD student in the Biology Department at UF. Milligan works in Dr. Todd Palmer’s lab, which generally works on community ecology and the ecology and evolution of species interactions. Milligan’s own research investigates the effects of the “big-headed ant” species which has invaded Laikipia, Kenya […]
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Awards: Nancy Rose Hunt, Professor of History & African Studies, wins the 2016 Martin A. Klein Prize from the American Historical Association (AHA) for her book A Nervous State: Violence, Remedies, and Reverie in Colonial Congo (Duke Univ. Press, 2015). The prize will be awarded at the AHA Annual Meeting in Denver, CO, January 5-8, […]
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The Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Livestock Systems was established after USAID awarded the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) a five-year renewable $49 million grant to engage in agricultural research and capacity building as part of the US Government’s global hunger and food security initiative. There are 24 Feed the Future […]
Victoria Gorham, PhD Candidate in the Dept. of Political Science, was awarded a Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Award Abroad grant to conduct research in Tanzania for 9 months beginning June 2017! CAS News Bulletin: Week of October 3rd, 2016
The Students in African Studies Association (SASA) hosts regular lunchtime seminars throughout the semester. Meetings occur on Wednesdays at 11:45pm in 471 Grinter.