ECAS7

The Centre for African Studies Basel and the Swiss Society for African Studies welcomed delegates to the 7th European Conference on African Studies ECAS 2017 with the theme: Urban Africa - Urban Africans: New encounters of the rural and the urban, which they organised on behalf of the Research Network of African Studies Centres in Europe AEGIS.

Over 1300 participants presented 1020 papers in 204 thematic panels and engaged in 10 round table discussions, 18 book launches, 13 film screenings and 13 meetings and were inspired by 4 keynote lectures.

Arts and Culture Programme

A rich arts programme established in partnership with the African Studies community of Basel made the sojourn in Basel a unique experience. It featured the A* Piece of Street Festival, the Festival Kongo am Rhein, the Image Afrique Festival '17, the exhibitions Images of Current Affairs - Press Photography and Archives in Africa, Making Douala 2007-2017, and Stolen Moments - Namibian Music History Untold, the Tinga Tinga Cinema and Bar, walking tours on Africa and Basel, as well as concerts with Jazz from South Africa.

The A* Magazine – A* standing for Art, Africa and Analysis – is the official publication of the ECAS arts and culture programme. It takes the form of a one-off newspaper that, in addition to providing a programme overview, features a broad spectrum of articles, analyses, features, interviews, letters and poems related to the many questions and issues raised during these events.

Organisers

The Centre for African Studies Basel is a coordinated research network at the University of Basel including further institutions such as the Basler Afrika Bibliographien, Mission 21 or the Swiss Tropic and Public Health Institute. It promotes Africa-related teaching at the university and offers MA and PhD programmes in African Studies as well as an advanced studies Certificate in African Affairs. With its joint research theme Living the City the Centre has been at the forefront of research on urban Africa. Research under this theme is promoted along five axes of research: Public Health and Social Life; Media and Imagination; Knowledge Production and Transfer; Governance and Civil Society; Environment and Development. These axes also inform the teaching activities of the Centre. The Centre today constitutes a solid framework within which numerous post-doc researchers as well as doctoral and MA students have been engaging with urban issues. This has led to the founding of a new master programme Critical Urbanism in cooperation with the University of Cape Town.

The Swiss Society for African Studies (SSAS) aims at advancing research on Africa, including the organization of conferences to discuss questions of African lifestyles and other aspects of African societies and cultures. Contributing to the circulation of relevant information, the SSAS understands itself as platform for synergies and collaboration between universities and research institutions. It strives to enhance the visibility and the institutionalization of African Studies in Switzerland. Founded in 1974, the SSAS is based on the model of Area Studies. With this view it offers opportunities to connect researchers and the interested public in a theme-oriented and multidisciplinary exchange. Alternating with thematic conferences, the biannual Swiss Researching Africa Days promote the exchange among researchers at different stages of their careers. The SSAS is a member of the Swiss Academy of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Conference Committee

The organising committee was led by Till Foerster, Elisio Macamo and Veit Arlt of the Centre for African Studies Basel.

Conference Office

Veit Arlt (lead, logistics, website)
Julia Büchele (administration)
Pascal Schmid (finances, communication, travel grants)
Jacob Geuder (organisation of student staff)
Nicole Bolliger (travel)
Rita Kesselring (publishers' exhibition)
Winnie Kanyimba (film sessions)

A*magazine: Art, Africa, Analysis

Kadiatou Diallo (editor and curator A* Piece of Street Festival)
Melanie Boehi (editor)
Daniela Müller, Moritz Köhler, with Talya Lubinsky
and New Horizon Productions (design)
Partners are featured on the A* Magazine website

Scientific Committee

Till Förster (University of Basel, Switzerland)
Dominique Malaquais (CNRS/IMAF, Paris, France)
Elísio Macamo (University of Basel, Switzerland)
Julia Tischler (University of Basel, Switzerland)
Anne Mayor (University of Geneva, Switzerland)
Daniel Küenzler (University of Fribourg, Switzerland)
Gregor Dobler (University of Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany)

Programme Committee

Gareth Austin (University of Cambridge, England)
Susann Baller (DHIP-CREPOS, Dakar, Senegal)
Rose-Marie Beck (University of Leipzig)
Eva Maria Belser (University of Fribourg)
Wim van Binsbergen (African Studies Centre, Leiden, Netherlands)
Gilles Carbonnier (The Graduate Institute, Geneva, Switzerland)
Divine Fuh (University of Cape Town, South Africa)
Olivier Graefe (University of Fribourg)
Clemens Greiner (University of Cologne, Germany)
Andreas Heuser (University of Basel, Switzerland)
Daniel Küenzler (University of Fribourg, Switzerland)
Paul Lane (University of Uppsala, Sweden)
Christine Lequelec-Cottier (University of Lausanne)
Dominique Malaquais (CNRS/IMAF, Paris, France)
Jenny Fatou Mbaye (City University London, England)
Sonia Merten (Swiss Tropic and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland)
Brigit Obrist (University of Basel)
Silke Oldenburg (University of Basel, Switzerland)
Jean Bernard Ouédraogo (CNRS-EHESS, Paris, France)
Didier Péclard (University of Geneva, Switzerland)
Rüdiger Seesemann (University of Bayreuth, Switzerland)
Fiona Siegenthaler (University of Basel, Switzerland)
Céline Thiriot (Sciences Po, Bordeaux, France)