6th CODESRIA/CASB Summer School in African Studies and Area Studies in Africa (Fully-funded) 2024/2025

5th CODESRIA/CASB Summer School in African Studies and Area Studies in Africa (Fully-funded) 2024/2025: The Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) and The Centre for African Studies in Basel (CASB) call for applications for their 5th Summer School in African Studies and Area Studies in Africa.

Application Deadline: 31st May 2024

To Be Taken At (Country): Dakar, Senegal.

About the Award: The overall objective of the CODESRIA/CASB Summer School is to stimulate and consolidate interdisciplinary approaches to research on Africa, but also on other regions of the world undertaken from within the African continent. It focuses on African Studies as an instance of area studies and seeks to identify themes that are theoretically, conceptually and methodologically relevant to the reflection on the intellectual challenge of Africa as an object of knowledge and its contribution to general scholarship while inquiring into the relevance of the findings to African approaches to other regions. The goals of the Summer School are the following:

• Give PhD students and emerging scholars the opportunity to engage critically with new theoretical, conceptual and methodological developments in African Studies and enhance the relevance of the methods to their work under the guidance of senior scholars;
• Encourage PhD students and emerging scholars to reflect on the potential relevance of knowledge on Africa to the task of improving our theoretical, conceptual and methodological tools both in the disciplines as well as in interdisciplinary work;
• Foster among PhD students and emerging scholars a sense of belonging to a community of scholars in pursuit of knowledge and scholarship;
• Stimulate emerging scholars to work towards carving a space for African Studies in the broader field of scholarship and, in this way, helping African Studies to claim a place right at the center of knowledge production.

Theme: How Political is Knowledge?

The discussions at the CODESRIA/CASB Summer School will be structured along the following three major themes:

• Normativity: The motivation of the scholar, the choice of the subject and the role of interests and values;
• Research design and process: The formulation of research questions, the collection and analysis of data, the choice and use of concepts, methods and theories;
• Output: The presentation and publication of research results and its perception by the scientific community, by decision makers and by a wider public.

The expected outcome from the Summer School is that participants will develop the competence to reflect on their own position within their present and future academic environment, enhance their awareness of the importance of doing so for the relevance and content of their work and develop approaches that allow for a more reflected and reciprocal perspective in their research.

Type: Training/Short course

Eligibility:

•  The Summer School is open for PhD students and emerging scholars enrolled and working at Higher Education institutions in any country.
• Applications from PhD students registered in African and Swiss universities and in the following disciplines are highly encouraged: Social Anthropology, Sociology, History, Religion, Philosophy, Gender studies and Political science.
• Applications from PhD students registered in Swiss universities are also encouraged.

Number of Awards: Not specified

Value of Award: Travel, accommodation and meals during the Summer School will be provided for participants from African Institutions. The Convenors of the Summer School will also be open to receiving a limited number of applicants able and willing to pay the cost of participation in the School.

Duration of Programme: Date: 26-30 August 2024

How to Apply: The 6^th CODESRIA/ZASB Summer School invites applications from doctoral students interested in exploring these issues as part of a larger framework of engaging with methodological challenges in African Studies.

The Summer School is open for PhD students and early career scholars at Higher Education institutions on the African continent. Preference will be given to those in their first or second year of PhD enrollment). Applications will be considered from students working in the following disciplines: Social Anthropology, Sociology, History, Religion, Philosophy, Gender studies and Political science. Applications from PhD students registered in Swiss universities are also encouraged.

Applications should include the following:

• Motivation or Application letter with a clear statement on how you approach the challenge of “objectivity” in the social sciences and humanities bearing as practiced in Africa and elsewhere.
• Concept paper (5-pages) highlighting: (a) what you are working on (b) how your work relates to the theme of the Summer School; and (c) your expectations from the Summer School.
• A detailed Curriculum vitae
• One letter of recommendation from the candidate’s institution of affiliation or PhD supervisor for early career scholars.
• Passport copy
• Copy or proof of PhD registration at an African or Swiss University (for PhD students). Copy of doctoral certificate for early career scholars.

Incomplete applications may not be considered.

Applicants are requested to use the following link https://submission.codesria.org to submit their proposals.

For specific questions, please contact:
CODESRIA SUMMER SCHOOL

tgf@codesria.org

Visit Programme Webpage for Details