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 4th Summer School in African Studies and Area Studies in Africa.

Objectives 

The summer school aims to

• Give Ph.D. 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 Ph.D. students and emerging scholars to reflect on the potential relevance of knowledge on Africa to the task of improving theoretical, conceptual and methodological tools both in the disciplines as well as in interdisciplinary work.
• Foster among Ph.D. 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.

Requirements 

The Summer School is open for Ph.D. students and emerging scholars enrolled and working at Higher Education institutions in any country. Applications from Ph.D. 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.

Funding 

The CODESRIA/CASB Summer School in African Studies and Area Studies in Africa is a fully funded opportunity. Travel, accommodation, and meals during the Summer School will be provided for participants from African Institutions.

Key Questions 

The basic goal of the Summer School is to address this ambivalence by inviting proposals which look into “the value(s) of science” from several angles:

• Which values underlie development research in Africa and how do they affect methodological choices?
• How do ethical commitments shape how researchers frame their research?
• Is there a politics of Western epistemology and, if so, what would be a scientific African Studies’ approach to problematize it?
• What is the precise methodological argument behind decolonial calls for delinking?
• How do the values of science inform its value?
• What role is played by ideological commitments in the validation of knowledge?
• How do ideas of a better life or world inform research projects?

Interested candidates must use this link to submit their proposals.