Afrika-Studiecentrum, Leiden
Encyclopedia
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
with the aim of promoting a better understanding of historical, current and future social developments in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa as a geographical term refers to the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara. A political definition of Sub-Saharan Africa, instead, covers all African countries which are fully or partially located south of the Sahara...
. The present director is Ton Dietz. The institute is located in the Pieter de la Court Building of Leiden University
Leiden University
Leiden University , located in the city of Leiden, is the oldest university in the Netherlands. The university was founded in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange, leader of the Dutch Revolt in the Eighty Years' War. The royal Dutch House of Orange-Nassau and Leiden University still have a close...
’s Faculty of Social Sciences
Social sciences
Social science is the field of study concerned with society. "Social science" is commonly used as an umbrella term to refer to a plurality of fields outside of the natural sciences usually exclusive of the administrative or managerial sciences...
.
Research
The main objectives of the African Studies Centre (ASC) are to promote and undertake scientific researchScientific method
Scientific method refers to a body of techniques for investigating phenomena, acquiring new knowledge, or correcting and integrating previous knowledge. To be termed scientific, a method of inquiry must be based on gathering empirical and measurable evidence subject to specific principles of...
on Sub-Saharan Africa in the social sciences and humanities, to function as the main focal point for African studies
African studies
African studies is the study of Africa, especially the cultures and societies of Africa .The field includes the study of:Culture of Africa, History of Africa , Anthropology of Africa , Politics of Africa, Economy of Africa African studies is the study of Africa, especially the cultures and...
in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and contribute to education and teaching in this field, and to promote the dissemination of knowledge and an understanding of African societies.
Research at the Centre is organized in so-called theme groups. Each group consists of a number of ASC researchers and various affiliated members from other academic institutions in the Netherlands and Africa. The researchers in each group have different disciplinary backgrounds so the theme groups are, by definition, multi-disciplinary in character and are built around a major research theme that together form the institute’s research programme. The three current theme groups, which run until 2011, are "Connections and Transformations: The Social Construction of Linking Technologies in Africa and Beyond", "Economy, Environment and Exploitation", and "Social Movements and Political Culture".
Library
The Centre’s library consists of some 80,000 books and about 2,000 journals (including electronic journals), government reports, brochures, African newspapers and about 1,000 documentaries and feature films on video and DVD. The Centre has also developed a web service, Connecting-Africa, with links to more than 20,000 online articles about Africa.History
The Centre was founded on 12 August 1947. Over the years, many well-known Dutch Africanists have worked at the African Studies Centre, including the poet Vernie February, the activist Klaas de Jonge, the sociologist Robert Buijtenhuijs and the film director Emile van Rouveroy van Nieuwaal. Barbara Harrell-BondBarbara Harrell-Bond
Dr Barbara Harrell-Bond OBE is a leading figure in the field of refugee studies. She founded the Refugee Studies Center at Oxford University, the world's first institution for the study of refugees. It now hosts an annual lecture series in her name...
worked at the Centre in the 1970s. Kofi Abrefa Busia
Kofi Abrefa Busia
Kofi Abrefa Busia was Prime Minister of Ghana from 1969–72. He was born in Wenchi, in the then British colony of Gold Coast . He was educated at Methodist School, Wenchi, Mfantsipim School, Cape Coast, then at Wesley College, Kumasi from 1931–32. He later became a teacher at Achimota Secondary...
, who later became prime minister of Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
, was working at the African Studies Centre between 1959 and 1962. Former director Stephen Ellis was editor in chief
Editor in chief
An editor-in-chief is a publication's primary editor, having final responsibility for the operations and policies. Additionally, the editor-in-chief is held accountable for delegating tasks to staff members as well as keeping up with the time it takes them to complete their task...
of Africa Confidential
Africa Confidential
Africa Confidential is a fortnightly newsletter covering politics and economics in Africa. It was established in 1960 and is owned by the British company, Asempa Limited. Founded by a group of six individuals under the banner of Miramoor Publications, Africa Confidential was originally printed on...
.
The Centre was one of the founders of AEGIS
AEGIS (African Studies)
AEGIS is a research network of European centres in African studies, which aims to create synergies between experts and institutions. With primary emphasis on Social Sciences and Humanities, AEGIS' main goal is to improve understanding about contemporary African societies.AEGIS was founded in 1991...
, a network of African Studies Centres in Europe that was set up in 1991 to build upon the resources and research potential available within Africanist institutions in Europe.
Publications
The Centre publishes extensively, sometimes in cooperation with publishers such as Brill PublishersBrill Publishers
Brill is an international academic publisher founded in 1683 in Leiden, the Netherlands. With offices in Leiden and Boston, Brill today publishes more than 134 journals and around 600 new books and reference works each year...
in Leiden. Among the ASC publications are
- Africa YearbookAfrica YearbookThe Africa Yearbook is an annual publication devoted to politics, economy and society south of the Sahara. It is the successor to the German-language Afrika Jahrbuch published by the Institut für Afrika-Kunde in Hamburg, which issued its last yearbook in 2004 .- Scope :The yearbook covers major...
- African studies abstracts onlineAfrican Studies Abstracts OnlineAfrican Studies Abstracts Online is a quarterly abstracting service covering academic journal articles and edited works on Africa in the field of the social sciences and the humanities available in the library of the Afrika-Studiecentrum, Leiden, The Netherlands...
- Kroniek van Afrika (1961-1975)